■•S0'^ 


iiii 


is 


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'M 


BV7783    .H3   1893^" 

"S^^^S^iiliaa  Pope, 
™^  'Gospel  •a.ong  the  sla.e. 


REV.   WILLIAM   CAPERS,    D.D., 
One  OF  THE  Bishops  of  thf  M.  E.  Church,  South. 


THE 

GOSPEL  AMONG  THE  SLAVES. 

A  SHORT  ACCOUNT  OF 

MISSIONARY  OPERATIONS  AMONG  THE  AFRICAN 
SLAVES  OF  THE  SOUTHERN  STATES. 


COMPILED  FROM  ORIGINAL  SOURCES    AND   EDITED  BY 


W.  P.  HARRISON,  D.D.,  LL.D., 

Book  Editor,  Methodist  Episcof>al  Church,  South. 


Nashville,  Tenn.: 

PuBLiSHiXG  House  of  the  M.  E.  Church,  South. 

Barbee  &  Smith,  Agents. 

1893. 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1893, 

By  the  Book  Agents  of  the  Methodist  Episcopai,  Chukch,  South, 

In  the  Office  of  the  l-ibrarian  of  Congress,  atWashington. 


PREFACE. 


The  following  pages  record  the  results  of  missionary  enter- 
prise among  the  African  slaves  of  the  Southern  states.  From 
the  earliest  records  available,  the  editor  has  obtained  the  narra- 
tive of  the  operations  of  various  Christian  Churches,  including 
Baptists,  Presbyterians,  and  Episcopalians.  The  chief  authority 
for  this  narrative  was  kindly  forwarded  to  me  by  the  Hon. 
Richard  H.  Clark,  a  gentleman  who  honors  the  judicial  office  in 
the  city  of  Atlanta,  Ga. 

To  Miss  Annie  Maria  Barnes  is  due  the  credit  of  collecting 
the  materials  of  this  volume  from  contemporary  sources.  The 
work  of  the  editor  has  been  confined  to  selection,  abbreviation, 
and  arrangement  of  these  materials.  When  no  authority  is 
given  for  a  statement  in  the  text,  the  editor  is  responsible. 

That  the  general  public  will  be  surprised  to  learn  some  of 
the  facts  recorded  in  these  pages  the  editor  is  firmly  persuaded. 
Who  among  us  realizes  the  fact  that  the  people  of  the  South 
expended  nearly  or  quite  tivo  millions  of  dollars  for  the  evangel- 
ization of  the  slaves  on  the  cotton  and  rice  plantations  between 
the  years  1S29  and  1864.''  This  amount  does  not  express  the  to- 
tal sum  expended  by  Southern  slave  holders  for  the  benefit  of 
the  negro  slaves.  ''  Plantation  missions"  are  alone  represented, 
and  these  comprised  a  minority  of  the  slaves  in  most  of  the  South- 
ern states.  Nor  do  we  include  the  expenditures  made  by  other 
Christian  Churches.  The  two  millions  of  dollars  were  con- 
tributed bj'  the  slave  holders  and  their  friends  to  forward  the 
missions  to  the  slaves  conducted  by  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  from  1829  to  1844,  and  from  1844  to  1864  by  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church,  South.  The  Editor. 

Nashville,  Teiin.,  January,  1893. 

(3) 


CONTENTS. 


Chapter  I.  Page 

St.  Paul  and  the  Greek  Slave 7 

Chapter  II. 

The  Degradation  of  a  Name 17 

Chapter  III. 

Man  Was  Created  to  Have  Dominion  over  the  Earth 29 

Chapter  IV. 

A  Brief  Historical  Sketch 38 

Chapter  V. 

A  Brief  Historical  Sketch  (Continued) 57 

Chapter  VI. 

A  Brief  Historical  Sketch  (Concluded) 70 

Chapter  VII. 

The  Period  of  Decline:  The  Cause 88 

Chapter  VIII. 
The  Negro  without  the  Gospel 96 

Chapter  IX. 
Negro  Insurrections iii 

Chapter  X. 

Beginnings  of  Missionary  Work 117 

Chapter  XI. 

Mission  Work  (Continued) 136 

Chapter  XII. 

The  Gospel  on  the  Plantation 149 

(5) 


6  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves, 

Chapter  XIII.  Pack 

Plantation  Work  Continued  to  1S44 171 

Chapter  XIV. 
Notes  from  the  Pioneers 197 

Chapter  XV. 
Plantation  Missions  from  1844  to  1864 297 

Chapter  XVI. 
Traits  of  Christian  Character 327 

Chapter  XVII. 
Memorials  of  Faithful  Slaves 364 

Chapter  XVIII. 
Testimony  of  Prominent  Freedmen 37^ 


CHAPTER  I. 
St.  Paul  and  the  Greek  Slave. 

ST.  PAUL  was  the  first  preacher  of  the  gospel 
to  slaves.  It  is  in  his  writings  that  we  have 
the  first  distinct  view  of  slavery  as  it  existed  in 
New  Testament  times,  and  from  the  pen  of  this 
apostle  to  the  Gentiles  we  have  distinctly  defined 
the  attitude  of  the  Church  toward  human  slavery: 

Art  thou  called  being  a  servant?  care  not  for  it:  but  if  thou 
mavest  be  made  free,  use  it  rather.  For  he  that  is  called  in 
the  Lord,  being  a  servant,  is  the  Lord's  freeman:  likewise  also 
he  that  is  called,  being  free,  is  Christ's  servant.  Ye  are  bought 
with  a  price;  be  not  ye  the  servants  of  men.  Brethren,  let 
every  man,  wherein  he  is  called,  therein  abide  with  God.  (i 
Cor.  vii.  21-24.) 

This  being  the  attitude  of  the  Church  toward  a 
civil  institution,  one  with  which  the  Church  had 
nothing  to  do,  in  enlarging,  contracting,  or  abol- 
ishing the  relations  of  master  and  slave,  it  is  the 
logical  consequence  that  this  apostle  should  teach 
as  a  religious  duty  the  service  which  the  state  ex- 
acts solely  as  a  political  duty.     St.  Paul  says: 

Let  as  manj'  slaves  as  are  under  the  joke  count  their  own 
masters  [(^EaTrSrac,  despots]  worthy  of  all  honor,  that  the  name  of 
God  and  his  doctrine  be  not  blasphemed.  And  they  that  have 
believing  masters,  let  them  not  despise  them,  because  they  are 
brethren:  but  rather  do  them  service,  because  thej'  are  faithful 
and  beloved,  partakers  of  the  benefit.  These  things  teach  and 
exhort,     (i  Tim.  vi.  i,  2.) 

It  will  be  a  profitable  inquiry  if  we  look  brieflv 

(7) 


8  The  Gospel  a7nong  the  Slaves. 

into  the  character  of  the  civil  institution  of  slavery 
as  it  existed  in  the  lifetime  of  St.  Paul.  Prof. 
Becker,  one  of  the  most  accomplished  scholars  of 
modern  times,  endeavors  to  account  for  what  he 
calls  a  striking  contradiction  between  the  princi- 
ples and  the  practice  of  the  Greeks.     He  says: 

One  of  the  most  striking  anomalies  in  the  character  of  the 
Greeks  is,  that  though  they  acknowledged  above  all  other  na- 
tions the  value  of  personal  freedom,  and  kept  a  jealous  guard 
against  everj  thing  that  threatened  it  from  within,  and  were 
ready  to  resist  to  the  death  any  encroachment  made  upon  it 
from  without,  still  they  did  not  recognize  the  equal  claims  of 
all  to  this  blessing,  but  withheld  it  from  millions  of  their  fel- 
low-men, whom  they  made  mere  personal  instruments  of  their 
will,  and  reduced  to  a  condition  little  superior  to  that  of  domes- 
tic animals.  This  strange  contradiction  may  be  partly  due  to 
their  assumption  that  the  barbarians  were  creatures  of  a  natu- 
rally inferior  order  to  themselves,  though  there  was  nothing  in 
the  habits  of  those  nations  which  could  excuse  such  arrogance. 
But  the  root  of  slavery  lies  elsewhere,  and  must  be  rather 
sought  in  the  general  disinclination  to  menial  labor,  and  that 
abhorrence  to  servitude,  based  on  false  notions  of  libei-ty,  which 
first  made  the  possession  of  slaves  desirable.  In  process  of 
time  this  grew  into  an  imperious  necessity,  which  refused  to 
take  into  consideration  the  justice  or  injustice  of  the  case;  and 
as  there  now  existed  a  class  of  men  which  had,  by  birth  and 
education,  become  divested  of  all  the  habits  and  feelings  that 
were  regarded  as  the  essential  characteristics  of  an  DxvOepnq 
(freeman),  the  notion  of  their  belonging  to  a  different  race  of 
mankind  seemed  justified  and  strengthened.    (Chariclea,  p.  356.) 

In  the  ideal  republic  of  Plato  human  slavery  was 
an  integral  factor.  Different  laws  are  given  for  the 
freeman  and  the  slave,  verbal  censure  being  the 
punishment  for  a  freeman,  where  corporal  chas- 
tisement should  be  inflicted  upon  the  slave;  and 
offenses  punished  by  fine  in  the  case  of  the  free- 


SL  Paul  and  the  Greek  Slave.  9 

man  were  visited  with  capital  punishment  when 
the  criminal  was  a  slave.  These  distinctions  are 
perfectly  in  keeping  with  the  Greek  view  of  the 
inferiority  of  the  slave  race  or  races.  Captured 
in  war,  and  bought  sometimes  for  only  a  few  shil- 
lings, the  ancestors  of  the  slaves  of  St.  Paul's  day 
were  either  intellectually  or  morally  incapable  of 
contending  for  their  freedom  against  their  mas- 
ters. 

Aristotle  does  not  enter  into  the  question  of  the 
origin  of  slavery,  or  the  moral  right  that  one  man 
has  to  claim  property  in  the  life  and  service  of  an- 
other. But  he  distinctly  avows  the  doctrine  of 
the  inferiority  of  the  slave  race.  He  contrasts  the 
works,  the  genius,  the  achievements  in  arms,  the 
intellectual  eminence  of  the  ruling  race  with  the 
vices  and  degradation  of  the  slave,  and  concludes 
that  the  relative  position  of  the  two  classes  is  the 
due  of  each,  the  proper  reward  for  innate  greatness 
and  innate  weakness.  He  declares  that  the  slave 
belongs  to  a  ete^ov  yevog',  heteron  gcnos,  a  foreign 
race,  an  outside  genus;  and  therefore  the  eternal 
law  that  the  strong  must  rule  the  weak  is  in  per- 
fect keeping  with  all  that  we  know  of  the  fitness 
of  things  in  the  moral  government  of  the  universe. 
This  argument  compels  him  to  the  conclusion  that 
there  is  a  code  of  laws  especially  adopted  to  the 
wants  and  necessities  of  the  ^vkJel  ^ov/iot,  the  slave 
natures.  Here  and  there  we  find  a  Greek  poet, 
as  Philemon,  who  entered  a  mild  protest  against 
this  view  of  the  subject,  but  from  the  great  mass 


lO  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

of  the  slaves  in  Greece  there  was  seldom  a  note 
of  remonstrance  or  an  attempt  at  self-assertion  in 
contest  with  their  masters  for  personal  liberty. 

With  the  exception  of  the  Helots  of  Sparta,  the 
Greek  slaves  were  in  a  much  more  tolerable  con- 
dition than  those  of  Rome.  The  Spartans  carried 
their  barbarities  to  a  great  length,  and  in  so  doing 
were  only  giving  play  to  the  distinctive  features  of 
their  character.  They  were  a  cruel  people.  Cru- 
el to  their  children  and  to  those  whom  they  loved 
best,  it  could  not  be  expected  that  they  should  1)3 
kind  and  benevolent  to  those  whom  they  disdained 
and  despised.  The  clemency  of  the  Athenians 
toward  their  slaves  does  not  appear  to  have  been 
caused  by  the  great  preponderance  of  the  slave  over 
the  free  population.  The  free  burghers  of  Attica, 
in  the  time  of  Demetrius  Phalereus,  were  found 
by  a  census  to  be  twenty-one  thousand ;  there  were 
of  resident  aliens  ten  thousand,  and  of  slaves  four 
hundred  thousand.  Where  the  physical  force  was 
twenty  to  one  against  the  masters,  it  was  not  the 
lack  of  power,  but  the  want  of  capacity  or  dispo- 
sition, which  prevented  the  uprising  of  the  servile 
population  against  their  owners.  Nor  does  it  ap- 
pear that  the  Greeks  anticipated  any  trouble  from 
the  practice  of  educating  their  slaves  to  the  various 
forms  of  skilled  handicraft  used  in  those  times. 
Elevated  above  the  manual  labor  which  they  con- 
sidered servile,  the  Greek  gentlemen  did  not  even 
employ  themselves  with  the  conduct  of  their  own 
business  interests,  but  placed  these  in  the  hands 


SL  Paul  and  the  Greek  Slave.  ii 

of  a  better  and  costlier  class  of  slaves,  for  whom 
they  often  gave  extravagant  prices,  but  not  so  ex- 
orbitant as  those  paid  for  a  similar  class  among 
the  Romans. 

There  are  writers  who  are  at  a  loss  to  imagine 
what  principle  was  at  stake  in  producing  the  long- 
continued  and  virtually  voluntary  subjection  of  a 
people  who  outnumbered  their  masters  in  the  pro- 
portion of  twenty  to  one.  These  persons  seem 
to  have  but  little  knowledge  of  their  own  times, 
and  especially  of  the  classes  of  theorists  whose 
speculations  they  represent.  New  England  has 
been  the  quarter  from  which  the  most  offensive 
and  the  most  fanatical  of  these  agencies  have  em- 
anated. If  we  are  to  believe  Mr.  J.  Fenimore 
Cooper,  "the  besetting,  the  degrading  vice  of  his 
section  of  America  is  the  moral  cowardice  by 
which  men  are  led  to  truckle  to  what  is  called 
public  opinion."  When  this  public  opinion  was 
supposed  to  be  in  favor  of  protecting  the  manu- 
fucturing  interests  of  New  England,  an  abolition- 
ist was  mobbed  in  Boston  as  freely  as  a  patriotic 
citizen  was  threatened  with  the  same  treatment  if 
he  dared  openly  to  purchase  a  United  States  bond 
in  1814,  during  the  last  war  with  England.  Why 
it  was  that  the  Greek  slaves,  who  were  not  lack- 
ing in  either  intelligence  or  courage,  were  really 
attached  to  their  masters,  and  would  even  die  in 
their  defense,  it  is  utterly  impossible  for  such  wor- 
shipers of  power  to  understand.  Even  Mr.  Fran- 
cis A.  Walker,  in  his  recent  work  on  the  "Wages 


12  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

Question,"  cannot  resist  the  inborn  tendency  of 
his  people  to  measure  the  consciences  of  others  by 
the  clearly  defined  defects  of  their  own  ethical  sys- 
tem. He  says:  "  We  know,  by  a  mass  of  revolt- 
ing testimony,  that  in  all  countries  avarice,  the 
consuming  lust  of  immediate  gain,  a  passion  which 
stands  in  the  way  of  a  true  and  enlarged  view  of 
self-interest  and  works  unceasing  despite  to  self- 
interest,  has  always  despoiled  the  slave  of  a  part 
of  the  food  and  clothing  necessary  to  his  highest 
efficiency  as  a  laborer."  (Walker's  "Wages 
Question,"  p.  59.)  To  this  very  oracular  state- 
ment of  matters  that  may  have  passed  under  his 
own  eyes,  among  the  people  of  his  native  borough, 
he  characteristically  attaches  the  allegation  of  a 
universal  custom,  holding  good  in  all  lands,  those  of 
which  he  has  no  knowledge  as  well  as  those  with 
which  he  is  acquainted.  To  this  oracular  deliver- 
ance he  attaches  in  a  note  an  ill-grained  and  surly 
hypothesis  which  reveals  the  weakness  of  his 
brethren  of  the  abolition  propagandist  school  in 
New  England.  "When  slavery  was  a  political 
and  social  institution,"  he  says,  "as  in  the  Middle 
States  of  the  American  Union,  something  of  grace 
and  kindliness  might  come  to  climb  upon  it."  It 
is  a  bare  possibility  that  such  a  thing  might  be, 
and  this  reluctant  and  ungracious  acknowledg- 
ment is  wrung  from  this  man,  who  actually  be- 
lieves himself  an  advocate  of  truth,  by  a  "mass  of 
testimony"  that  is  "revolting"  to  fanatics,  be- 
cause  it  falsifies   their  declarations    and  convicts 


St.  Paul  and  the  Greek  Slave.  13 

them  of  uttering  the  foulest  slanders  against  those 
who  have  done  them  no  wrong. 

But  in  direct  antagonism  with  all  the  declara- 
tions of  self-styled  ''philanthropists,"  the  Greek 
slave  was  attached  to  his  master,  as  a  rule,  and 
therefore  the  advice  of  St.  Paul  was  by  no  means 
a  hardship.  "Art  thou  called  being  a  slave?"  Do 
not  suppose  that  any  merely  outward  circum- 
stances can  procure  or  promote  the  happiness  of 
the  soul.  Do  not  sorrow  over  the  social  relation 
that  makes  you  the  inferior  of  the  so-called  "  high- 
er classes,"  but  accept  the  grace  of  God,  be  faith- 
ful to  the  trusts  committed  to  you,  and  make  your 
inferior  position  a  means  of  showing  forth  the 
power  and  glory  of  the  gospel.  Nevertheless,  if 
your  master  sees  proper  to  release  you  from  the 
estate  of  bondage,  accept  the  gift  of  freedom, 
and  use  it  as  wisely  as  you  would  have  employed 
yourself  in  the  service  of  a  master.  The  calling  is 
the  same  to  all  men,  there  is  neither  bond  nor  free 
in  the  kingdom  of  God,  for  all  are  brethren.  And 
because  all  are  brethren,  "  let  every  man,  wherein 
he  is  called,  therein  abide  with  God."  To  strive 
against  the  bonds  that  Providence  has  permitted 
to  be  placed  upon  you  is  to  challenge  the  justice 
of  God,  professedly  under  the  influence  of  the 
saving  grace  of  the  gospel. 

The  annals  of  the  world  have  many  records  of 
super-serviceable  people  who  have  been  dissatis- 
fied with  Providence,  and,  like  Rebecca,  have  en- 
deavored to   hurry  up  the   plans  and  purposes  of 


14  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaws. 

divine  wisdom.  In  every  case  such  well-meant 
actions  have  involved  the  subjects  of  their  inter- 
ference in  sorrow  and  disaster.  Rebecca's  strata- 
gem, by  which  she  caused  Jacob  to  personate  his 
elder  brother,  Esau,  was  successful  in  stealing  a 
blessing  that  would  have  been  rightfully  and  regu- 
larly bestowed  upon  her  favorite  son  if  she  had 
suffered  the  hand  of  Providence  to  direct  his  own 
counsels. 

Against  this  folly  the  apostle  cautions  the  Greek 
slave.  "  Let  as  many  slaves  as  are  under  the  yoke 
count  their  own  masters  worthy  of  all  honor,  that 
the  name  of  God  and  his  doctrine  be  not  blas- 
phemed." The  bare  refusal  to  do  honor  to  the 
master  is  declared  to  be  blasphemy  against  the 
name  of  God  and  his  doctrine !  How  utterly  ir- 
reconcilable is  that  teaching  with  the  anarchical 
declarations  that  pronounce  the  slave's  master  a 
fiend,  and  the  slave's  condition  a  crime,  the  one 
to  be  murdered  by  knife  and  bullet,  and  the  other 
to  be  abolished  by  fire  and  sword  \ 

"And  they  that  have  believing  masters,"  con- 
tinues St.  Paul,  "let  them  not  despise  them  be- 
cause they  are  brethren,  but  rather  do  them  serv- 
ice, because  they  are  faithful  and  beloved,  par- 
takers of  the  benefit."  The  caution  against  the 
abuse  of  the  brotherhood  of  Christ,  by  making  it 
a  pretense  to  assert  the  equality  of  social  station, 
and  because  all  men  are  equal  in  the  kingdom  of 
Christ,  in  point  of  privilege,  to  wrest  this  princi- 
ple by  applying  it  to  the  organization  of  society. 


SL  Piud  and  the  Greek  Slave.  15 

where  all  are  not  equal,  never  have  been,  and 
never  will  be,  even  in  the  millennial  state;  to  do 
this,  is  to  despise  the  master  and  dishonor  the 
Lord  Christ.      "  These  things  teach  and  exhort." 

These  were  the  doctrines  that  gave  Christianity 
an  open  door  to  the  Greek  and  Roman  world. 
The  revolutionary  theories  and  incendiary  speech- 
es of  a  Clarkson,  a  Wilberforce,  or  even  a  Wesley, 
to  say  nothing  of  the  heaven- daring  impiety  of 
New  England  fanatics,  whose  souls  seemed  in 
many  instances  to  relapse  into  a  state  of  positive 
savagery,  would  have  doomed  the  early  Church  to 
extinction  in  the  lifetime  of  the  first  preachers  of 
the  gospel. 

I  am  aware  that  these  utterances  of  mine  are 
not  popular  in  this  generation,  but  popularity  is 
not  evidence  of  truth.  When  hard  pressed  with 
these  writings  of  St.  Paul,  the  abolitionists  of  forty 
years  ago  renounced  St.  Paul,  the  Bible,  and  the 
God  of  heaven,  because  it  was  impossible  to  de- 
fend their  insane  denunciations  of  Southern  slave- 
holders by  the  pages  of  Holy  Writ. 

Nor  was  the  motive  of  these  crusaders  the  same 
that  actuated  St.  Paul  in  his  exhortations  to  the 
slaves  of  Greece.  Paul  loved  the  souls  of  these 
men.  The  abolitionists,  as  a  class,  cared  nothing 
for  the  religious  welfare  of  the  negro.  They  were 
ready  to  move  heaven  and  earth,  and  they  de- 
clared that  they  were  willing  to  sink  the  nation  in 
the  gulf  of  irretrievable  ruin,  unless  they  could 
abolish    slavery.     But    once    set    free,   the    negro 


i6  T/ie  Gospel  among-  the  Slaves. 

might  starve  for  aught  they  cared.  To  do  an  in 
jury  to  his  master,  in  his  pocket  or  his  pride,  they 
were  ready  to  spend  and  be  spent;  but  when  the 
unfortunate  subject  of  their  zeal  had  perpetrated 
ah  the  wrong  against  his  owner  that  he  was  capa- 
ble of  doing,  then  these  marvelous  "  philanthro- 
pists "  turned  the  freedman  out  of  doors  to  look 
out  for  himself.  They  did  not  hesitate  to  say  that 
their  mission  was  ended  when  the  bonds  of  the 
slave  were  broken. 

"O  my  soul,  come  not  thou  into  their  secret; 
unto  their  assembly,  mine  honor,  be  not  thou 
united." 


CHAPTER  II. 
The  Degradation  of  a  Name. 

IT  is  a  singular  fact  that  the  word  slave  occurs 
but  once  in  the  Authorized  Version  of  the  New 
Testament,  and  in  that  case  it  is  not  a  translation 
of  the  original  word  employed  by  St,  John.  The 
fall  of  "  Babylon  the  great"  is  vividly  described 
in  Revelation  xviii.,  and  part  of  the  merchandise 
lamented  as  forever  lost  by  the  "  merchants  of  the 
earth  "  are  the  proceeds  of  the  sale  of  "  wine,  and 
oil,  and  fine  flour,  and  wheat,  and  beasts,  and 
sheep,  and  horses,  and  chariots,  and  slaves,  and 
sotds  of  men."  In  the  Greek  text  the  word  trans- 
lated "  slaves"  is  amiarcjv,  the  bodies  of  men,  as 
the  sou/s  of  men  form  the  counterpart  in  the  next 
phrase.  In  Jeremiah  ii.  14  our  translators  have 
supplied  the  term  s/ave,  placing  the  word  in  italic 
letters  to  show  that  there  was  nothing  in  the  orig- 
inal Hebrew  to  answer  to  it.  The  word  occurs 
nowhere  else  in  the  English  Bible.  The  text  in 
Jeremiah  is  one  of  the  many  cases  in  which  our 
English  version  departs  from  the  letter  to  preserve 
the  spirit  of  the  Hebrew  text.  Undoubtedly  the 
prophet  intended  to  ask  the  question,  "  Is  Israel  a 
slave?  Is  he  born  in  the  house,  the  property  of  a 
master?  Why  then  is  he  despoiled?"  So  far 
from  inferring  any  degradation  in  this  question, 
2  (17) 


i8  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

the  prophet's  mind  is  engaged  in  considering  the 
fact  that  as  a  slave,  belonging  to  a  great  master, 
who  was  able  and  wilHng  to  defend  his  own  prop- 
erty, it  is  an  anomalous  thing  to  find  Israel  "  de- 
spoiled." With  the  usual  strength  of  the  parallel 
inquiry,  "Is  he  a  homchorn  slave?"  the  prophet 
calls  attention  to  the  fact  that  Israel  is  a  member 
of  his  master's  household,  a  part  of  his  family,  en- 
titled to  the  protection  of  the  sovereign  power,  the 
head  of  the  family.  Therefore,  the  despoiling  of 
Israel  is  a  surprising  fact,  and  the  reason  for  it 
can  only  be  found  in  the  treachery  and  desertion 
of  the  favored  slave  who  has  cast  away  his  mas- 
ter's shield  and  fallen  a  victim  to  enemies  strono-er 
than  he. 

But  in  the  New  Testament  we  can  scarcely  as- 
certain the  reason  that  induced  our  translators  to 
omit  the  rendering  "slave"  wherever  the  Greek 
word  hovkoc,  occurs.  It  is  absolutely  certain  that 
a  bondman^  one  bound  to  a  master,  bought  with 
his  money,  or  transferred  to  him  as  being  proper- 
ty, is  the  meaning  of  the  original  word.  It  is  a 
term  of  specific  meaning.  It  never  signifies  a  hired 
servant.  The  word  for  hired  servant  in  Luke  xv. 
17,  19,  is  (.iIgOlol,  paid  servants,  or,  as  the  Latin 
Vulgate  has  it,  mereenartl,  mercenaries,  serving 
for  wages.  It  is  worthy  of  notice  that  in  the 
process  of  time  these  words,  "slave  "  and  "hired 
servant,"  have  changed  places.  As  early  as  the 
old  Itala,  and  later,  in  the  days  of  Jerome,  the 
latter  part  of  the  fourth  and  beginning  of  the  fifth 


The  Degradation  of  a  Name.  19 

century,  a  hired  servant  was  a  mercenary,  one  in 
whom  the  employer  had  no  other  interest  than  the 
contract  of  service  warranted.  The  degraded  re- 
lation is  further  shown  in  the  parable  of  the  prod- 
ieral  son.  When  the  homeless  wanderer  "  comes 
to  himself  "  in  the  far  country,  finding  himself  re- 
duced to  share  with  the  swine  in  their  coarse  and 
revoltincr  food,  he  remembered  not  the  slaves  of 
the  family,  for  these  were  nearer  to  his  own  sta- 
tion and  place,  but  the  hired  so'vants.  "  How 
many  hired  servants  of  my  father's  house  have 
bread  enough  and  to  spare!"  In  the  progress  of 
the  world,  the  "  hired  servant"  is  now  the  honor- 
able relation,  and  the  "slave  "  is  odious  and  infa- 
mous. 

In  all  ages  and  in  all  countries  the  existence  of 
a  principle  which  produces  a  true  aristocracy  in 
society  has  been  the  most  important  factor  in  the 
progress  and  elevation  of  mankind.  An  aristoc- 
racy is  nothing  more  than  the  organization  of  the 
best  members  of  the  social  compact.  When  the 
tests  of  superiority  are  virtue,  gentleness,  refine- 
ment, education,  and  usefulness,  there  can  be  no 
possible  objection  to  the  sentiment  which  produces 
and  the  fidelity  which  preserves  this  distinction 
among  men.  It  is  the  legitimate  product  of  the 
world's  renowned  maxim,  "  Knowledge  is  power," 
and  there  can  be  no  possible  injury  to  society  as  a 
whole  by  the  maintenance  of  such  distinctions. 

But  when  the  possession  of  money,  however  ob- 
tained, whether  dishonestly  or  righteously,  by  op- 


20  The  Gosfel  among  the  Slaves. 

pressing  the  poor,  the  orphan  and  the  widow,  or 
by  dihgence,  frugahty,  and  self  -  denial— when 
ivealth  is  the  only  test  of  aristocratic  place  and 
position,  a  great  good  is  transformed  into  a  great 
evil.  We  can  have  patience  with  the  man  who 
lives  in  the  past  and  boasts  of  the  great  deeds  of 
his  ancestors.  It  is  a  laudable  pride  when  the  de- 
scendant proves  himself  worthy  of  those  who  have 
gone  before  him,  but  not  otherwise.  When  it  is 
made  the  basis  of  a  claim  to  honors  and  privileges 
not  possessed  by  the  masses  of  the  people,  and 
when  illustrious  birth  is  made  an  excuse  for  a  de- 
based life  and  degrading  actions,  the  very  refer- 
ence to  the  honors  of  a  noble  ancestry  aggravates 
the  crimes  of  those  who  dishonor  their  parentage 
while  they  cover  themselves  with  infamy. 

But  no  man  can  rightly  become  indifferent  to 
the  sentiment  that  creates  an  aristocracy  of  worth. 
In  early  times,  physical  strength,  united  to  cour- 
age and  moral  worth,  designated  the  proper  sub- 
jects for  the  possession  of  social  distinctions,  in 
titles  conferred  by  kings,  and  honors  pointed  out 
by  the  voice  of  the  people.  The  various  grades 
of  European  nobility  are  founded  upon  supposed 
merit,  not  upon  kingly  caprice  nor  popular  par- 
tiality. In  the  course  of  ages,  here  and  there,  in- 
stances have  occurred  in  which  the  true  principle 
of  aristocracy  has  been  overlooked,  or  despised, 
but  the  advancement  of  our  race  from  the  moral 
degradation  of  paganism  to  the  present  position  of 
civilized   society  is  largely  due  to  the  principle  of 


The  Degradation  of  a  Name.  21 

honoring  and  ennobling  the  best  members  of  the 
social  compact. 

The  Christian  Church  knows  nothing  of  antag- 
onism to  this  aristocracy  of  merit.  The  estimate 
placed  by  St.  Paul  upon  these  social  dignities 
would  be  sufficient  to  illustrate  the  importance  of 
the  principle.  St.  Paul  does  not  disdain  to  men- 
tion the  prominence  of  Tarsus,  the  city  of  his 
birth,  as  a  claim  that  demands  at  least  a  hearing 
at  the  hands  of  his  enemies.  When  under  guard 
at  Jerusalem,  and  accosted  by  the  chief  captain 
as  "  that  Eg3^ptian  "  which  had  gathered  a  mob  of 
four  thousand  men  and  led  them  out  into  the  wil- 
derness for  purposes  of  robbery  and  murder 
(Acts  xxi.),  he  does  not  hesitate  to  assert  his  re- 
spectability, and  says:  "I  am  a  man  which  am  a 
Jew  of  Tarsus,  a  city  in  Cilicia,  a  citizen  of  no  mean 
city."  But  while  he  shows  himself  to  be  proud 
of  the  city  of  his  nativity,  he  does  not  expect  or 
desire  exemption  from  righteous  punishment,  or 
escape  from  just  responsibility  on  that  account. 
He  desires  to  be  heard,  to  defend  himself  by  the 
highest  and  grandest  of  all  the  forms  of  logic:  the 
logic  of  truth. 

Prior  to  this  time  he  had  been  imprisoned  in 
Philippi,  after  having  endured  that  most  excruci- 
ating of  all  corporal  sufferings,  the  chastisement 
of  the  rod.  In  the  noise,  confusion,  and  madness 
of  the  hour  the  apostle  had  no  opportunity  to 
make  his  voice  heard,  or  he  would  doubtless  have 
uttered   the  plea  which  was   so  effective  the  next 


22  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

day.  (Actsxvi.)  After  the  wonderful  occurrences 
of  the  night,  the  earthquake,  the  open  doors  of  the 
prison,  the  conversion  of  the  jailer,  and  the  sud- 
den alarm  of  the  magistrates  of  Philippi,  word  is 
brought  to  Paul  and  Silas  in  the  morning,  that  the 
magistrates  have  ordered  their  release, 

St.  Paul  exhibits  a  greatness  of  soul  that  as- 
tounds his  enemies,  particularly  when  they  be- 
come aware  of  the  cause  of  his  refusal  to  depart. 
"  They  have  beaten  us  openly  uncondemned,"  he 
declares,  and  surely  this  was  a  charge  of  sufficient 
magnitude  to  cost  any  magistrate  his  official  posi- 
tion; but  Paul  adds  two  words  of  fearful  import 
to  these  unworthy  officers:  "being  Romans." 
There  was  magic  power  in  that  expression,  and 
when  the  guilty  men  heard  of  it,  they  were  only 
too  glad  to  humble  themselves  in  the  presence  of 
these  Jews  whom  they  had  despised  a  few  hours 
before.  "They  came  and  besought  them."  That 
liberty  of  which  they  had  deprived  Paul  and  Silas 
was  now  tendered  to  them,  with  the  most  abject 
fear  and  the  basest  alarm,  lest  the  Roman  citizen, 
whose  birthright  of  immunity  from  the  lictor's  rod 
had  been  grossly  violated,  should  prosecute  them 
in  just  retaliation,  and  bring  the  power  of  Cgesar 
into  exercise  in  vindication  of  Roman  citizenship. 

Paul  proceeds  no  further,  however,  than  to  hu- 
miliate the  magistrates,  while  he  gives  to  the  gos- 
pel whatever  there  may  be  of  more  favorable  con- 
sideration from  the  discovery  of  his  social  position. 
"  I  am  a  Roman  citizen  "  was  a  truly  noble  rec- 


The  Degradation  of  a  Name.  23 

ord.  It  did  equal  honor  to  the  giver  and  to  the 
receiver.  Citizenship  in  a  state  that  was  master 
of  the  world  was  a  partnership  with  all  Rome  in 
the  glories  of  more  than  seven  hundred  years  of 
the  most  wonderful  history  known  to  men. 

Once  more  the  apostle  has  an  opportunity  to 
employ  that  magic  phrase,  "  I  am  a  Roman  citi- 
zen," and  on  this  occasion  it  protects  him  from 
the  brutality  of  the  Roman  scourgers.  The  chief 
captain  ordered  Paul  to  be  punished  in  order  to 
find  out  the  cause  of  the  unreasonable  madness  of 
the  mob  that  clamored  for  his  life.  Paul  appeals 
to  well-known  principles  of  Roman  jurisprudence. 
Although  Csesar  is  all-powerful,  the  law  is  Csesar's 
mouthpiece.  "Is  it  lawful  for  you  to  scourge  a 
man  that  is  a  Roman,  and  uncondemned?  "  No 
Roman  could  be  scourged,  w^hether  condemned  or 
uncondemned.  In  this  case,  the  language  of  St. 
Paul  is  the  strongest  possible  statement  of  the  out- 
rage, indignity,  and  crime  which  they  were  about 
to  commit.  The  centurion  sought  the  chief  cap- 
tain and  cautioned  him.  "Take  heed  what  thou 
doest;  for  this  man  is  a  Roman."  (Acts  xxii.  26.) 
Fear  lends  celerity  to  the  chief  captain's  move- 
ments. He  interrogates  the  prisoner:  "Tell  me. 
Art  thou  a  Roman?"  "Yea."  Then  said  the 
chief  captain:  "With  a  great  sum  obtained  I  this 
freedom."  "But  I,"  replied  Paul,  "was  free- 
born." 

Whether  the  Roman  citizenship  of  St.  Paul  was 
due  to  the  honor  conferred  upon  the  city  of  Tar- 


24  The  Gospel  mnong  the  Slaves. 

sus,  or  whether  it  was  a  special  favor  conferred 
upon  the  family  of  St.  Paul,  is  a  question  that  can- 
not be  definitely  determined.  There  are  weighty 
arguments  on  both  sides,  but  the  legitimate  infer- 
ence from  the  conduct  of  the  chief  captain  is  in 
favor  of  the  hypothesis  of  a  family  gift.  When 
Paul  informed  his  custodian  that  he  was  a  native 
of  Tarsus,  "  no  mean  city,"  the  chief  captain  cer- 
tainly did  not  infer  from  that  statement  that  Paul 
was  a  Roman  citizen,  which  must  have  been  the 
case  if  at  his  birth  Tarsus  had  conferred  that 
privilege.  It  is  possible,  however,  that  this  citi- 
zenship was  only  conferred  upon  a  particular  class, 
upon  those,  for  example,  who  were  born  in  the 
higher  stations  of  society.  The  language  of  Paul, 
"  but  I  was  freeborn,"  may  be  understood  to  ap- 
ply to  the  birthright  of  the  Roman  citizen,  if  we 
reject  the  word  "free,"  supplied  by  our  translat- 
ors, and  read,  in  substance,  "  but  I  am  a  Roman 
citizen  by  birth."  This  is  a  sufficient  contrast 
with  the  man  who  had  bought  his  privileges  with 
"a  great  sum."  However  the  fact  may  be,  the 
greatness  of  the  honor  increased  the  ground  of 
apprehension  on  the  part  of  the  chief  captain. 
But  this  apostle,  a  nobleman  of  nature,  did  not 
seek  to  inflict  punishment  upon  the  petty  officer 
who  had  endangered  place  and  even  life  itself  by 
dishonoring  a  Roman  citizen.  He  makes  no  plea, 
utters  no  complaint,  but,  when  occasion  comes, 
tells  his  experience  and  preaches  through  his  own 
past  history  the  unsearchable  riches  of  Christ. 


The  Degradation  of  a  Name.  25 

What  shall  we  think  of  this  apostle,  then,  when 
we  find  him  announcing  himself  in  Romans  i.  i 
as  "the  slave  of  Jesus  Christ?  "  Is  there  a  special 
ignominy,  an  incurable,  indelible  stain  imparted 
by  the  word  "  slave  ?  "  Why  then  does  the  apostle 
use  it  in  regard  to  himself?  Why  does  he  make 
the  strange  contrast  in  Galatians  i.  10:  "  If  I  yet 
pleased  men,  I  should  not  be  the  slave  of  Christ?" 
How  shall  we  account  for  the  peculiar  form  of  ar- 
gument which  asserts  in  Galatians  iv.  i:  "Now 
I  say,  That  the  heir,  as  long  as  he  is  a  child,  differ- 
eth  nothing  from  a  slave,  though  he  be  lord  of 
all?"  In  Titus  he  combines  the  word  with  the 
apostolic  function:  "  Paul,  a  slave  of  God  and  an 
apostle  of  Jesus  Christ."  There  is  nothing  pecul- 
iar to  St.  Paul  in  this  use  of  the  word.  St.  Peter 
calls  all  Christians  the  '■^slaves  of  God"  in  i  Peter 
ii.  16.  So  St.  James  (i.  i.)  calls  himself  "  a  slave 
of  God  and  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ."  So  also 
Jude  i.  and  St.  John  the  Divine,  Revelation  i.  i. 

Now  these  are  no  accidental  facts.  The  word 
hov'koc,  never  meant  anything  but  a  bondman. 
The  very  essence  of  the  word  repels  the  idea  of 
hired  service.  It  is  a  permanent,  lifelong  bond 
that  unites  the  servant  to  his  lord.  It  is  so  abso- 
lutely settled,  fixed,  determined,  that  the  servant 
never  looks  forward  to  a  period  when  it  shall 
cease  to  be.  Every  interest  of  the  slave  is  bound 
up  in  the  same  bundle  with  his  master's  welfare. 
The  consequence  is  that  the  bonds  are  reciprocal. 
The  slave  is  bound  to  his  lord,  and  the  master  is 


26  Tlic  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

bound  to  the  slave.  Nothing  that  makes  for  the 
physical  and  moral  welfare  of  the  slave  can  be 
overlooked  or  neglected  by  the  master  without 
blame  when  that  master  is  a  pagan,  or  without 
sin  when  that  master  is  a  Christian.  By  the  very 
ties  that  unite  them — ties  that  are  above  the  sordid 
nature  of  a  money  interest  in  the  labor  of  the  slave — 
there  is  nothing  that  can  contribute  to  the  benefit 
of  either  that  is  not  shared  in  some  degree  by  the 
other. 

That  there  were  some  Christian  masters  in 
Greece  is  evident  by  the  story  of  the  runaway 
slave,  Onesimus.  No  refined  and  cultured  mind 
can  read  St.  Paul's  letter  to  Philemon  without  feel- 
ing his  estimate  of  the  manhood  of  Paul  enlarged 
and  exalted.  The  slave  Onesimus  leaves  his  mas- 
ter, and  in  his  wanderings,  probably  at  Rome,  he 
meets  with  Paul  and  listens  to  his  preaching.  The 
gospel  finds  its  way  to  the  heart  of  the  fugitive, 
and  he  makes  known  to  Paul  the  truth  in  regard 
to  himself.  He  is  a  runaway.  Perhaps  he  has 
taken  the  money  of  his  master,  and,  like  the  prod- 
igal son,  has  spent  all,  and  has  no  means  of  repay- 
ing it.  He  cannot  go  to  Philemon,  for  he  is  afraid 
of  his  master's  righteous  anger. 

Paul  volunteers  to  help  him.  Unlike  the  Gar- 
risons, Gerritt  Smiths,  and  Henr}?-  Ward  Beech- 
ers,  who  cast  themselves  in  the  very  teeth  of  hu- 
man and  divine  law,  and  did  all  that  they  could  to 
rob  the  Southern  masters  of  their  lawful  property, 
St.  Paul  determined  at  once  that  Onesimus  must 


The  Degradation  of  a  Name.  27 

return  to  his  master.  That  was  the  first,  necessa- 
ry, inevitable  step.  But  the  apostle  further  prom- 
ised to  interpose  in  behalf  of  the  runawa}^  slave, 
in  order  to  lessen  the  anger  of  the  master,  and  to 
secure  to  the  fugitive  a  kind  reception. 

In  this  spirit  Paul  pleads  most  eloquently,  ten- 
derly, and  efficaciously  with  the  injured  master. 
He  reminds  him  that  Philemon  himself  belongs  to 
Paul,  as  a  convert  to  the  gospel,  and  therefore  owes 
him  far  more  than  he  can  ever  repay.  Neverthe- 
less, if  Onesimus  has  taken  his  master's  money, 
and  if  the  master  holds  him  responsible  for  the 
loss  of  his  time,  Paul  generously  offers  to  pay  the 
whole  debt,  and  binds  himself  to  do  so. 

Between  the  conduct  and  spirit  of  St,  Paul  and 
the  conduct  and  spirit  of  the  abolitionists  of  fifty 
years  ago  there  is  an  "  impassable  gulf."  The 
one  is  the  conduct  of  a  man  who  is  himself  the 
slave  of  Christ;  the  other  is  the  conduct  of  those 
who  are  only  hired  servants^  who  remain  in  the 
household  just  so  long  as  the  wages  are  forthcom- 
ing and  the  sumptuous  fare  holds  out. 

It  is  impossible  to  read  the  Bible  with  attention 
without  perceiving  that  the  inherent  sinfulness  of 
human  slavery  is  not  taught  in  the  word  of  God. 
So  far  from  constituting  even  a  defect  in  the  char- 
acter of  the  men  of  olden  times,  the  most  illustri- 
ous men  in  sacred  history  are  recorded  as  the 
owners  of  slaves,  and  no  blame  is  imputed  to  them 
on  that  account.  Abraham,  the  father  of  the  faith- 
ful  and  the  friend  of  God,  was  able  to  raise  up 


28  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

a  considerable  army  among  the  slaves  born  in  his 
own  house.  Nor  is  there  a  solitary  instance  in 
which  the  mere  possession  of  slaves  is  stated  as  a 
fault,  much  less  a  crime. 

It  is  scarcely  conceivable  that  the  case  could 
have  been  otherwise.  The  time  has  been  in  the 
world's  history,  and  the  time  now  is  in  the  history 
of  many  millions  of  human  beings,  that  the  alter- 
native existing  for  these  millions  is  either  slavery 
or  perpetual  barbarism. 


CHAPTER  III. 

Man  Was   Created   to   Have   Dominion  over 
THE  Earth. 

THAT  the  aboriginal  races  of  men,  occupying 
the  soil  for  thousands  of  years,  yet  failing  to 
accomplish  the  object  of  their  creation,  must  give 
place  to  a  higher  type  of  mankind  possessing  both 
the  genius  and  the  energ}^  to  subdue  the  earth,  and 
to  exercise  dominion  over  it,  is  a  truth  that  is  illus- 
trated by  the  history  of  every  aboriginal  race.  In 
no  quarter  of  the  earth  has  a  savage  people  been 
redeemed  and  civilized  without  bringing  the  pen- 
alty upon  the  defaulters.  Within  a  very  brief  pe- 
riod the  Australian  tribes  have  furnished  a  striking 
proof  of  the  operation  of  this  law  of  nature.  Mere 
tenants  at  will  on  the  domain  of  Providence,  neg- 
lecting, and  stubbornly  refusing  to  be  assisted  in 
learning  and  developing  the  powers  of  the  soil  upon 
which  they  had  tented  for  ages,  these  people  were 
incapable  of  obeying  the  terms  of  the  Great  Charter 
of  Man  as  an  occupant  of  earth.  "  Be  fruitful,  and 
multiply,  and  replenish  the  earth,  and  siihdtie  it." 
This  is  the  command  mven  to  the  first  man.  The 
great  charter  of  humanity,  the  tenure  by  which 
any  race  holds  the  earth  on  which  they  dwell,  is 
given  in  the  first  chapter  of  Genesis,  verse  26: 
"And  God  said.  Let  us  make  man  in  our  image, 
after  our  likeness:   and  let  tJicm  have  dominion 

(29) 


30  The  Gosfel  among  the  Slaves. 

over  the  jish  of  the  sea,  and  ove?'  the  fowl  of  the 
air,  and  over  the  cattle,  and  over  all  the  earth,  and 
over  every  creeping  thing  that  creepeth  upon  the 
earth.'''' 

Dominion  over  the  earth  is  the  condition  of 
man's  residence  upon  the  globe,  and  wherever 
any  tribe  or  race  shall  cease  to  exercise  that  do- 
minion in  the  measure  possible  to  the  opportuni- 
ties of  the  age,  that  tribe  or  race  will  fade  away 
and  be  no  longer  a  cumberer  of  the  ground.  In 
proof  of  this  proposition  we  cite  the  testimony  of 
Rev.  J.  G.  Wood,  author  of  *'  The  Uncivilized 
Races  of  Men:  " 

This  one  tribe  is  but  an  example  of  the  others,  all  of  whom 
are  surely,  and  some  not  slowly,  approaching  the  end  of  their 
existence.  For  many  reasons  we  cannot  but  regret  that  entire 
races  of  men,  possessing  many  fine  qualities,  should  be  thus 
passing  away;  but  it  is  impossible  not  to  perceive  that  thev  are 
but  following  the  order  of  the  world,  the  lower  race  preparing 
a  home  for  the  higher. 

In  the  present  instance,  for  example,  the  aborigines  per- 
formed barely  half  of  their  duties  as  men.  They  partially  ex- 
ercised their  dominion  over  the  beasts  and  the  birds,  killing  but 
not  otherwise  utilizing  them.  But,  although  they  inhabited  the 
earth,  they  did  not  subdue  it  nor  replenish  it.  They  cleared 
away  no  useless  bush  or  forest,  to  replace  them  with  fruits;  and 
they  tilled  no  land,  leaving  the  earth  exactly  in  the  same  condi- 
tion that  they  found  it.  Living  almostly  entirely  by  the  chase, 
it  required  a  very  large  hunting  ground  to  support  each  man, 
and  a  single  tribe  gained  a  scanty  and  precarious  living  on  a 
tract  of  land  sufficient,  when  cultivated,  to  feed  a  thousand 
times  their  number.  In  fact,  they  occupied  precisely  the  same 
relative  position  toward  the  human  i-ace  as  do  the  lion,  tiger, 
and  leopard  toward  the  lower  animals,  and  suffered  in  conse- 
quence from  the  same  law  of  extinction. 


Man  to  Have  Dominion  over  the  EartJi.      31 

;  In  process  of  time  white  men  came  to  introduce  new  arts 
into  their  country,  clearing  away  the  useless  forest,  and  covering 
the  rescued  earth  with  luxuriant  wheat  crops,  sufficient  to  feed 
the  whole  of  the  aborigines  of  the  country ;  bringing  also  with 
them  herds  of  sheep  and  horned  cattle  to  feed  upon  the  vast 
plains  which  formerly  nourished  but  a  few  kangaroo,  and  to 
multiply  in  such  numbers  that  they  not  only  supplied  the  whole 
of  their  adopted  land  with  food,  but  their  iiesh  was  exported  to 
the  mother  country. 

The  superior  knowledge  of  the  white  man  thus  gave  to  the 
aborigines  the  means  of  securing  their  supplies  of  food,  and 
therefore  his  advent  was  not  a  curse,  but  a  benefit  to  them. 
But  they  could  not  take  advantage  of  the  opportunites  thus  of- 
fered to  them,  and,  instead  of  seizing  vipon  these  new  means  of 
procuring  the  three  great  necessaries  of  human  life — food, 
clothing,  and  lodging — they  not  only  refused  to  employ  them, 
liut  did  their  best  to  drive  them  out  of  the  country,  murdering 
the  colonists,  killing  their  cattle,  destroying  their  crops,  and 
burning  their  houses. 

The  means  were  offered  to  them  of  infinitely  bettering  their 
social  condition,  and  the  opportunity  given  them,  by  substitut- 
ing peaceful  labor  for  perpetual  feuds,  and  of  turning  profes- 
sional murderers  into  food  producers,  of  replenishing  the  land 
which  their  everlasting  quarrels,  irregular  mode  of  existence, 
and  carelessness  of  human  life,  had  well-nigh  depopulated. 
These  means  they  could  not  appreciate,  and,  as  a  natural  con- 
sequence, had  to  make  way  for  those  who  could.  The  inferior 
must  always  make  way  for  the  superior,  and  such  has  ever  been 
the  case  with  the  savage.  I  am  persuaded  that  the  coming  of 
the  white  man  is  not  the  sole  nor  even  the  chief  cause  of  the 
decadence  of  savage  tribes.  I  have  already  shown  that  we  can 
introduce  no  vice  in  which  the  savage  is  not  profoundly  versed, 
and  feel  sure  that  the  cause  of  extinction  lies  within  the  savage 
himself,  and  ought  not  to  be  attributed  to  the  white  man,  who 
comes  to  take  the  place  which  the  savage  has  practically  va- 
cated.    ("  Uncivilized  Races,"  Vol.  II.,  p.  790.) 

The  proofs  presented  by  Mr.  Wood  are  such  as 
no  reasonable  man  can  call  in  question.     The  Aus- 


32  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

tralians  are  nearly  extinct;  many  tribes  of  them 
wholly  so.  The  slow  but  steady  steps  that  lead  to 
the  extinction  of  the  great  masses  are  replaced,  in 
some  instances,  by  an  exceedingly  rapid  progress 
to  oblivion.  A  missionary  testifies  as  follows  con- 
cerning the  Barrabool  tribe,  the  people  whose  his- 
tory occasioned  the  foregoing  remarks  of  Mr. 
Wood.     Mr.  Loyd  says: 

When  I  first  landed  in  Geelong,  in  1837,  the  Barrabool  tribe 
numbered  upward  of  three  hundred  sleek  and  healthy-looking 
blacks.  A  few  months  previous  to  my  leaving  that  town,  in 
May,  1853,  on  casually  strolling  up  to  a  couple  of  miam-miams, 
or  native  huts,  that  were  erected  upon  the  banks  of  the  Burwan 
River,  I  observed  seated  there  nine  loobras  (women)  and  one 
sickly  child. 

Seeing  so  few  natives,  I  was  induced  to  ask  after  numbers 
of  my  old  dark  friends  of  early  days — Ballyyang,  the  chief  of 
the  Barrabool  tribe,  the  great  Jaga-jaga,  Panigerong,  and  many 
others,  when  I  received  the  following  pathetic  reply:  "Aha, 
Mitter  Looyed,  Ballyyang  dedac  [dead],  Jaga-jaga  dedac,  Pani- 
gerong dedac,"  etc.,  naming  many  others;  and,  continuing  their 
sorrowful  tale,  they  chanted,  in  minor  and  funeral  tones,  in 
their  own  soft  language,  to  the  following  effect: 

"The  stranger  white  man  came  in  his  great  swimming  corong 
[vessel],  and  landed  at  Corayio  with  his  dedabul  boulganas 
[large  animals],  and  his  anaki  boulganas  (little  animals).  He 
came  with  his  boom-booms  (double  guns),  his  white  miam- 
miams  [tents],  blankets,  and  tomahawks;  and  the  dedabul  um- 
mageet  [great  white  stranger]  took  away  the  long-inherited 
hunting  grounds  of  the  poor  Barrabool  coolies  and  their  chil- 
dren," etc. 

Having  worked  themselves  into  a  fit  of  passionate  and  ex- 
cited grief,  weeping,  shaking  their  heads,  and  holding  up  their 
hands  in  bitter  sorrow,  they  exclaimed,  in  wild  and  frenzied 
tones:  "Coolie!  coolie!  coolie!  where  are  our  coolies  now.^ 
Where  are  our  fathers,  mothers,  brothers,  sisters?  Dead!  all 
gone!   Dead."     Then  in  broken   English  they  said:    "  Nebber 


Man  to  Have  Dominion  over  the  Earth,      33 

mind,  Mitter  Loojed,  tir;  bj'm  bj  all  dem  black  fella  come 
back  white  fella  like  it  you."  Such  is  the  belief  of  the  poor 
aborigines  of  Victoria;  hence  we  may  fairly  infer  that  they 
possess  a  latent  spark  of  hope  in  their  minds  as  to  another  and 
better  world. 

Then,  with  outstretched  fingers,  they  showed  me  the  un- 
happy state  of  the  aboriginal  population.  From  their  state- 
ment it  appears  that  there  existed  of  the  tribe  at  that  mo- 
ment only  nine  women,  seven  men,  and  one  child.  Their 
rapid  diminution  in  numbers  may  be  traced  to  a  variety  of 
causes.  First,  the  chances  of  obtaining  their  natural  food  were 
considerably  lessened  by  the  entire  occupation  of  the  best 
grassed  parts  of  the  country,  which  originally  abounded  in 
kangaroos  and  other  animals  upon  which  they  subsisted.  The 
greater  number  of  these  valuable  creatures,  as  an  irresistible 
consequence,  retired  into  the  wild,  uninhabitable  countries,  far 
from  the  hands  of  the  white  man  and  his  destructive  dogs. 

Having  refused  the  aid  of  the  government  and  the  Mission- 
ary Societies'  establishments  on  the  River  Burwan  and  Mount 
Rouse,  the  natives  were,  to  a  serious  extent,  deprived  of  animal 
food,  so  essential  to  a  people  who  were  ever  exposed  to  the  in- 
clemencies of  winter  and  the  exhausting  heats  of  summer.  In- 
fluenza was  one  of  the  greatest  scourges  vmder  which  thev  suf- 
fered. Then,  among  other  evils  attending  their  association 
with  the  colonists,  the  brandy,  rum,  and  tobacco  told  fearfully 
upon  their  already  weakened  constitutions.     {Ibid.,  p.  789.) 

No  proposition  can  be  sustained  by  a  greater 
amount  of  moral  evidence  than  that  which  asserts 
that  a  mild  and  Christian  form  of  domestic  servi- 
tude would  have  preserved  these  tribes  in  the  land 
of  the  living  perhaps  for  ages.  But  the  temper  of 
the  times  was  not  in  accord  with  that  view  of 
things.  White  men  desired  to  have  communica- 
tion with  these  dark-skinned  barbarians  only  as 
their  own  necessities  required.  The  white  man  was 
not  responsible  if  the  Australian  bushman  chose 
3 


34  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

to  starve  to  death.  There  was  work  for  him  to 
do,  and  honest  wages  were  paid  to  all  that  would 
work.  But  the  accumulating  energies  of  a  thou- 
sand years  found  expression  in  the  white  man's 
"push  "  and  "  go,"  for  all  of  which  the  Austra- 
lian had  neither  sympathy  nor  toleration.  Unable 
to  adapt  himself  to  the  changed  world  which  white 
immigration  had  created;  unwilling  to  place  him- 
self in  the  position  of  a  learner,  that  he  might  be 
tausht  how  to  accommodate  himself  to  it ;  and  ut- 
terly  powerless  to  prevent  the  growth  and  estab- 
lishment of  a  state  of  things  which  meant  nothing 
but  death  to  him,  the  miserable  savage  groaned 
his  life  away,  leaving  his  native  land  in  the  hands 
of  another,  but  superior  race. 

This  is  perfectly  in  accordance  with  all  that  we 
know  of  the  divine  policy  in  the  government  of 
this  earth.  Why  has  God  placed  in  the  bowels  of 
the  earth  immense  stores  of  the  precious  and  the 
useful  metals;  inexhaustible  supplies  of  materials 
that  must  be  sought  out,  prepared  by  human  skill 
and  industry  for  the  purposes  of  a  civilized  society 
of  men?  The  same  great  law  of  design  may  be 
seen  exemplified  in  the  mineral  world  that  we  find 
in  the  animal  and  vegetable  kingdoms.  Man  was 
born  to  labor,  and  only  by  labor  is  the  highest  type 
of  human  character  attained.  We  are  baffled  by 
difficulties,  but  encouraged  by  partial  successes, 
led  on,  step  by  step,  to  further  and  greater  effort, 
conscious,  meanwhile,  that  no  lawful  exertion  can 
prove  an  utter  failure.     Even  the  life  that  has  been 


Man  to  Have  Do7ninion  over  the  Earth.      35 

devoted  to  noble  purposes,  and  yet  failed  of  actual 
attainment  of  the  object  of  lifetime  study  and  re- 
search, can  be  pronounced  in  no  sense  a  lifetime  of 
labor  lost.  No  man  toils  after  this  sort  without  en- 
riching his  generation,  and  his  race,  while  his  own 
personal  exaltation  is  the  legitimate  and  unfailing 
reward  of  his  exertions. 

Will  it  be  said  that  a  race  of  human  beings  who 
have  no  capacity  to  appreciate  an  argument  of  this 
kind  have,  nevertheless,  the  right  to  prevent  others 
from  developing  the  resources  of  the  soil?  Has 
the  American  Indian,  for  example,  any  moral  right 
to  hold  as  his  own  ten  thousand  acres  per  capita, 
when  multitudes  of  honest,  hard-working  men 
have  not  a  yard  of  earth  that  they  can  call  their 
own?  Shall  the  unknown  and  unmeasured  capac- 
ity of  the  soil  be  doomed  to  perpetual  barrenness 
because  the  Indian  delights  in  hunting  buffalo  and 
deer? 

There  are  people  mad  enough  to  answer  all  of 
these  inquiries  in  the  affirmative,  but  there  is  an 
unwritten  code  of  moral  sentiment  that  writes  its 
decrees  in  great  events  and  answers  all  criticisms 
by  the  founding  of  empires  and  the  creation  of  a 
nobler  civilization.  The  horseman  who  carried  a 
letterbag  across  the  continent  was  compelled  to 
give  way  to  the  driver  of  the  stage  coach,  and  he 
to  the  steamboat  and  the  railroad,  and  these  in 
turn  to  the  captured  forces  of  nature  serving  the 
pen  of  the  ready  writer  with  electric  power,  span- 
ning a  continent  in  a  moment  of  time.     Other  un- 


2,6  The  Gospel  iiDiong  the  Slaves. 

developed  forces  lie  asleep  in  the  bosom  of  nature, 
ready  to  be  awakened  whenever  the  superior  man 
shall  break  the  locks  and  throw  off  the  chains  that 
have  hitherto  preserved  these  agencies  until  the 
fullness  of  time  should  come,  and  the  wants  of 
mankind  should  call  for  their  resurrection. 

That  the  African  race  has  been  made  a  partaker 
in  the  progress  of  the  nineteenth  century  is  due  to 
the  institution  which  bound  them  to  masters  who 
exacted  profitable  labor  at  their  hands.  In  no  oth- 
er country  in  the  known  world  has  the  negro  race 
increased  in  numbers.  From  757,178  in  1790  the 
American  negroes  increased  to  nearly  four  millions 
and  a  half  in  seventy  years.  The  various  census 
reports  that  have  been  made  of  the  West  Indian 
negroes  show  a  stationary  and,  in  many  places,  a 
decreasing  population.  Left  to  themselves  in  the 
tropics,  these  sensual  races  earn  a  bare  subsistence 
amid  the  most  abundant  provisions  of  nature. 

What  is  there  in  the  character  of  the  African  to 
make  his  case  an  exception  to  all  others  among 
the  black  tribes  of  men?  If,  in  a  tropical  land 
where  one  day's  work  in  seven  will  serve  to  pro- 
cure food,  and  little  clothing  is  required  by  reason 
of  the  climate — if  in  a  land  so  endowed  by  nature 
we  find  the  inhabitants  absolutely  destitute  of  the 
common  necessities  of  life,  what  must  be  the  con- 
dition of  the  same  race  when  compelled  to  do  bat- 
tle with  the  forces  of  a  superior  and  dominant 
race? 

Can  the  negro  maintain  himself  in  the  presence 


Man  to  Have  Dominion  over  the  Earth.     37 

of  the  Caucasian  ?  So  long  as  the  ties  engendered 
by  their  former  history  and  experience  endure, 
there  will  be  partial  progress  and  partial  develop- 
ment. But  the  continuance  of  the  struggle  must, 
sooner  or  later,  bring  into  the  field  the  same  moral 
and  physical  features  which  have  removed  a  kin- 
dred population  in  every  country  that  man  has 
conquered  from  the  desolation  and  ruin  of  the 
Adamic  fall. 

That  the  negro  has  many  fine  qualities  of  head 
and  heart,  and  that  these  qualities  were  recognized 
by  their  masters  in  the  days  of  slavery,  it  will  be 
the  purpose  of  this  volume  to  show. 


CHAPTER  IV. 
A  Brief  Historical  Sketch. 

IN  the  year  1842  Rev.  C.  C.  Jones  published  in 
Savannah,  Ga.,  a  book  on  "  The  Religious  In- 
struction of  the  Negroes  in  the  United  States." 
From  this  excellent  work  we  copy  a  short  summary 
of  the  missionary  movements  among  the  slaves  prior 
to  the  beginning  of  the  nineteenth  century.  After 
giving  the  number  of  slaves  and  free  persons  of 
color  at  757,178  in  the  census  of  1790,  the  author 
says: 

Having  brought  distinctly  to  view  this  multitude  of  people 
introduced  amongst  us  in  the  inscrutable  providence  of  God,  the 
original  stock  being  in  a  state  of  absolute  heathenism,  we  may  in- 
quire into  the  efforts  made  for  their  religions  instruction. 

1673.  Mr.  Baxter  published  his  "  Christian  Directory,"  in 
which  he  has  a  chapter  of  "  Directions  to  Those  Masters  in  For- 
eign Plantations  Who  Have  Negroes  and  Other  Slaves;  Being 
a  Solution  of  Several  Cases  about  Them." 

The  first  direction  calls  upon  masters  to  "  understand  well  how 
far  your  power  over  your  slaves  extendeth  and  what  limits  God 
hath  set  thereto." 

"  Remember  that  they  have  immortal  souls,  and  are  equally 
capable  of  salvation  with  yourselves;  and  therefore  you  have 
no  power  to  do  anything  which  shall  hinder  their  salvation. 
Remember  that  God  is  their  absolute  owner,  and  you  have  none 
but  a  derived  and  limited  property  in  them ;  that  they  and  you 
are  equally  under  the  government  and  laws  of  God;  that  God 
is  their  reconciled,  tender  father,  and  if  they  be  as  good  doth 
love  them  as  well  as  you,  and  that  they  are  the  redeemed  ones 
(38) 


A  Brief  Historical  Sketch.  39 

of  Christ.     Therefore  so  use  them  as  to  preserve  Christ's  right 
and  interest  in  them." 

The  second  direction:  "Remember  that  you  are  Christ's 
trustees,  or  the  guardians  of  their  souls;  and  that  the  greater 
your  power  is  over  them  the  greater  jour  charge  is  of  them  and 
your  duty  for  them.  So  must  you  exercise  both  your  power  and 
love  to  bring  them  to  the  knowledge  and  the  faith  of  Christ, 
and  to  the  just  obedience  of  God's  commands." 

The  third:  "So  serve  your  necessities  by  your  slaves  as  to 
prefer  God's  interest  and  their  spiritual  and  everlasting  happi- 
ness. Teach  them  the  way  to  heaven,  and  do  all  for  their  souls 
which  I  have  before  directed  you  to  do  for  all  your  other  serv- 
ants. Though  you  may  make  some  difference  in  their  labor 
and  diet  and  clothing,  yet  none  as  to  the  furthering  of  their  sal- 
vation. If  they  be  infidels,  use  them  so  as  tendeth  to  win  them 
to  Christ  and  the  love  of  religion,  by  showing  them  that  Chris- 
tians are  less  worldly,  less  cruel  and  passionate,  and  more  wise 
and  charitable  and  holy  and  meek  than  any  other  persons  are. 
Woe  to  them  that  by  their  cruelty  and  covetousness  do  scandal- 
ize even  slaves  and  hinder  their  conversion  and  salvation!" 

The  seventh  and  last  direction:  "Make  it  your  chief  end  in 
buying  and  using  slaves  to  win  them  to  Christ  and  save  their 
souls.  Do  not  only  endeavor  it  on  the  by  when  you  have  first 
consulted  your  own  commodity,  but  make  this  more  of  your  end 
than  your  commodity  itself;  and  let  their  salvation  be  far  more 
valued  by  you  than  their  service;  and  carry  yourself  to  them 
as  those  that  are  sensible  that  they  are  redeemed  with  them  by 
Christ  from  the  slavery  of  Satan,  and  may  live  with  them  in  the 
liberty  of  the  saints  in  glory." 

The  works  of  this  eminent  servant  of  God  had  an  extensive 
circulation,  and  these  directions  may  have  been  productive  of 
much  good  on  the  plantations  of  those  owners  into  whose  hands 
they  fell. 

1630.  Forty-four  years  after  the  settlement  of  Connecticut, 
the  assembly  forwarded  answers  to  the  inquiries  of  the  lords  of 
the  Committee  of  Colonies,  wherein  they  say:  "There  are  but 
few  servants  and  fewer  slaves;  not  above  thirty  in  the  colony. 
There  come  sometimes  three  or  four  blacks  from  the  Barbadoes, 
which  are  sold  for  £22  each.  Great  care  is  taken  of  the  instruc- 
tion of  the  people  in  the  Christian  religion  by  ministers  catechis- 


40  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

ing  and  preaching  twice  every  Sabbath  and  sometimes  on  lec- 
ture days;  and  also  by  masters  of  families  instructing  their 
children  and  servants  which  the  law  commands  them  to  do." 

1701.  "The  Society  for  the  Propagation  of  the  Gospel  in 
Foreign  Parts  "  was  incorporated  under  William  III.  on  the 
i6th  day  of  June,  1701,  and  the  first  meeting  of  the  society  under 
its  charter  was  the  27th  day  of  June  of  the  same  year.  Thomas 
Lord  Bishop,  of  Canterbury,  Primate  and  Metropolitan  of  all 
England,  was  appointed  by  his  Majesty  the  first  President. 

This  society  was  formed  with  the  view,  primarily,  of  supply- 
ing the  destitution  of  religious  institutions  and  privileges  among 
the  inhabitants  of  the  North  American  colonies,  members  of 
the  Established  Church  of  England;  and  secondarily^  of  extend- 
ing the  gospel  to  the  Indians  and  negroes. 

It  had  been  preceded  by  a  company  incorporated  by  Charles 
II.  in  1661,  for  '■'■the  Propagation  of  the  Gospel  amongst  Heathen 
Nations  of  New  England  and  the  Parts  Adjacent  in  America; " 
which,  however,  did  not  accomplish  much;  the  design,  for  the 
times  then  present  and  the  necessities  of  the  colonies,  being  too 
narrow.  The  Honorable  Robert  Boyle  was  first  President  of 
this  company,  and  it  was  his  connection  with  this  society  which 
led  him  to  a  deeper  interest  in  the  defense  and  propagation  of 
the  Christian  religion,  and  he  therefore  left  in  his  will  an  an- 
nual salary,  forever,  for  the  support  of  eight  sermons  in  the 
year  for  proving  the  Christian  religion  against  notorious  infidels; 
and  he  requires  that  the  preachers  employed  "  shall  be  assisting 
to  all  companies  and  encouraging  them  in  any  undertaking  for 
propagating  the  Christian  religion  in  foreign  parts." 

"  The  Society  for  the  Propagation  of  the  Gospel  in  Foreign 
Parts  "  entered  upon  its  duties  with  zeal,  being  patronized  by  the 
king  and  all  the  dignitaries  of  the  Church  of  England. 

They  instituted  inquiries  into  the  religious  condition  of  the 
colonies,  responded  to  "  by  the  Governors  and  persons  of  the 
best  note"  (with  special  reference  to  episcopacy);  and  they  per- 
ceived that  their  work  "consisted  of  three  great  branches:  the 
care  and  instruction  of  our  people  settled  in  the  colonies,  the 
conversion  of  the  Indian  savages,  and  the  conversion  of  the  ne- 
groes." Before  appointing  missionaries  they  sent  out  a  travel- 
ing preacher,  the  Rev.  George  Keith,  an  itinerant  missionarv, 
who  associated  with  himself  the  Rev.  John  Talbot.     Mr.  Keith 


A  Brief  Historical  Sketch.  41 

preached  between  North  Carolina  and  Piscataqua  River  in 
New  England,  a  tract  above  eight  hundred  miles  in  length,  and 
completed  his  mission  in  two  years,  and  returned  and  reported 
his  labors  to  the  society. 

The  annual  meetings  of  this  society'  were  regularly  held  from 
1702  to  1819,  and  118  sermons  preached  before  it  by  bishops  of 
the  Church  of  England,  a  large  number  of  them  distinguished 
for  piety,  learning,  and  zeal.     The  society  still  exists. 

The  efforts  of  the  society  for  the  religious  instruction  of  the 
negroes  are  briefly  as  follows: 

In  June,  1702,  the  Rev.  Samuel  Thomas,  the  first  missionary, 
was  sent  to  the  colony  of  South  Carolina.  The  society  designed 
he  should  attempt  the  conversion  of  the  Yemassee  Indians;  but 
the  Governor,  Sir  Nathaniel  Johnson,  appointed  him  to  the 
care  of  the  people  settled  on  the  three  branches  of  Cooper 
River,  making  Goose  Creek  his  residence.  He  reported  his 
labors  to  the  society,  and  said  "  that  he  had  taken  much  pains 
also  in  instructing  the  negroes  and  learned  twenty  of  them  to 
read."     He  died  in  October,  1706. 

Dr.  Lejeau  succeeded  him  in  1706,  and  found  "parents  and 
masters  indued  with  much  good  will  and  a  ready  disposition  to 
have  their  children  and  servants  taught  the  Christian  religion." 
He  instructed  and  baptized  many  negroes  and  Indian  slaves. 
His  communicants  in  1714  arose  to  seventy  English  and  eight 
negroes.  Dr.  Lejeau  died  in  171 7,  and  was  succeeded  perma- 
nently by  Rev.  Mr.  Ludlam,  Avho  began  his  mission  with  great 
diligence.  "There  were  in  his  parish  a  large  number  of  ne- 
groes, natives  of  the  place,  who  understood  English  well.  He 
took  good  pains  to  instruct  several  of  them  in  the  principles  of 
Christian  religion,  and  afterward  admitted  them  to  baptism.  He 
said  if  the  masters  of  them  would  heartily  concur  to  forward  so 
good  a  work,  all  those  who  have  been  born  in  the  country  might 
without  much  difficulty  be  instructed  and  received  into  the 
Church.  Mr.  Ludlam  continued  his  labors  among  the  negroes 
and  every  year  taught  and  baptized  several  of  them ;  in  one 
year  eleven,  besides  some  mnlnttocsP 

The  Indian  war  checked  the  progress  of  the  society's  mis- 
sion for  several  years.  The  parishes  of  St.  Paul's  (1705),  St. 
John's  (1707),  St.  Andrew's  and  St.  Bartholomew's  (1713),  and 
St.  Helen's  (1712)  received  missionaries.     Mr.  Hasell  was  settled 


42  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

in  the  last-named  parish,  and  the  inhabitants  were  "  565  whites, 
950  negroes,  60  Indian  slaves,  and  20  free  negroes." 

Rev.  Gilbert  Jones  was  appointed  missionary  of  Christ 
Church  Parish  in  1711.  He  used  great  pains  to  persuade  the 
masters  and  mistresses  to  assist  in  having  their  slaves  instructed 
in  the  Christian  faith,  but  found  this  good  work  lay  under  dif- 
ficulties as  yet  insuperable.  He  wrote  thus  concerning  this 
matter:  "  Though  laboring  in  vain  be  very  discouraging,  yet  (by 
the  help  of  God)  I  will  not  cease  my  labors;  and  if  I  shall  gain 
but  one  proselyte,  shall  not  think  much  of  all  my  pains."  He 
was  succeeded  in  1722  by  Rev.  Mr.  Pownal.  Two  years  after 
he  reported  in  his  parish  470  free  born  and  above  700  slaves, 
some  of  which  understood  the  English  tongue;  but  very  few 
knew  anything  of  God  or  religion. 

In  the  parish  of  St.  George,  taken  out  of  St.  Andrew's,  the 
church  stands  twenty-eight  miles  from  Charleston. 

1719.  Mr.  Peter  Tustian  was  sent  as  missionary',  but  soon  re- 
moved to  Maryland.  The  Rev.  Mi-.  Varnod  succeeded  him  in 
1733.  A  year  after  his  arrival,  at  Christmas,  he  had  nearly  fifty 
communicants,  and,  what  was  remarkable,  seventeen  negroes. 
He  baptized  several  grown  persons,  besides  children  and  ne- 
groes belonging  to  Alexander  Skeene,  Esq.  The  Rev.  Mr. 
Taylor,  missionary  at  St.  Andrew's  Parish  in  South  Carolina,  re- 
ported to  the  society  "  the  great  interest  taken  in  the  religious 
instrviction  of  their  negroes  by  Mrs.  Haige  and  Mrs.  Edwards, 
and  their  remarkable  success,  fourteen  of  Avhom  on  examina- 
tion he  baptized."  The  clergy  of  South  Carolina,  in  a  joint  let- 
ter, acquainted  the  society  with  the  fact  "that  Mr.  Skeene,  his 
lady,  and  Mrs.  Haige,  his  sister,  did  use  great  care  to  have  their 
negroes  instructed  and  baptized."  And  the  Rev.  Mr.  Varnod, 
missionary,  had  baptized  eight  negro  children  belonging  to  Mr. 
Skeene  and  Mrs.  Haige,  and  he  writes  to  the  society  that  "at 
once  he  had  nineteen  negro  communicants." 

Mr.  Neuman  was  sent  as  a  missionary  to  North  Carolina  in 
1722.  He  reported  sometime  afterward  that  he  had  "baptized 
269  children,  i  woman,  3  men,  and  2  negroes  who  could  say  the 
Creed,  the  Lord's  Prayer  and  Ten  Commandments,  and  had 
good  sureties  for  their  further  information." 

The  Rev.  Mr.  Beckett,  missionary  in  Pennsylvania  in  1723, 
reported  that  he  had  baptized  "  two  negro  slaves." 


A  Brief  Historical  Sketch.  43 

In  1709  Mr.  Huddlestone  was  appointed  schoolmaster  in  New 
York  City.  He  taught  forty  poor  children  out  of  the  society's 
funds,  and  publicly  catecliised  in  the  steeple  of  Trinity  Church 
every  Sunday  in  the  afternoon,  "  not  only  his  own  scholars,  but 
also  the  children  and  slaves  of  the  inhabitants,  and  above  one 
hundred  persons  usually  attended  him." 

The  society  established  also  a  catechising  school  in  New  York 
City  in  1704,  in  which  city  there  were  computed  to  be  about 
1,500  negro  and  Indian  slaves.  The  society  hoped  their  example 
would  be  generalh'  followed  in  the  colonies.  Mr.  Elias  Neau, 
a  French  Protestant,  was  appointed  catechist.  He  was  very  zeal- 
ous in  his  duty,  and  many  negroes  were  instructed  and  baptized. 
In  1 71 2  the  negroes  in  New  York  conspiring  to  destroy  all  the 
English  discouraged  the  work  of  their  instruction.  The  con- 
spiracy was  defeated  and  many  negroes  taken  and  executed. 
Mr.  Neau's  school  was  blamed  as  the  main  occasion  of  the  bar- 
barous plot.  Two  of  Mr.  Neau's  school  were  charged  with  the 
plot;  one  was  cleared  and  the  other  was  proved  to  have  been  in 
the  conspiracy,  but  guiltless  of  his  master's  murder.  "Upon 
full  trial  the  guilty  negroes  were  found  to  be  such  as  never  came 
to  Mr.  Neau's  school ;  and  what  is  very  observable,  the  persons 
whose  negroes  were  found  most  guilty  were  such  as  Avere  the 
declared  opposers  of  making  them  Christians."  In  a  short  time 
the  cry  against  the  instruction  of  the  negroes  subsided.  The 
Governor  visited  and  recommended  the  school.  Mr.  Neau  died 
in  1722,  much  regretted  by  all  who  knew  his  labors.  He  was 
succeeded  by  Rev.  Mr.  Wetmore,  who  afterward  was  appointed 
missionary  to  Rye,  in  New  York.  After  his  removal  "the  rec- 
tor, church  wardens,  and  vestry  of  Trinity  Church,  in  New  York 
City,"  requested  another  catechist,  there  being  about  1,400  ne- 
gro and  Indian  slaves.  A  considerable  number  of  them  had  been 
instructed  in  the  principles  of  Christianity  by  the  late  Mr.  Neau, 
and  had  received  baptism  and  were  communicants  in  their 
Church.  The  society  complied  with  this  request  and  sent  over 
Rev.  Mr.  Colgan  in  1726,  who  conducted  the  school  with  success. 

Mr.  Honeyman,  missionary  in  1724  in  Providence,  R.  I.,  had 
baptized  in  two  years  80  persons,  of  whom  19  were  grown,  3 
negroes,  2  Indians,  and  2  mulattoes. 

In  Narragansett  the  congregation  was  reported  to  be  160 
in  1720,  with  twelve  Indian  and  black  servants. 


44  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

At  Marblehead  the  missionary  reported  (in  1725),  having  bap- 
tized two  negroes,  "a  man  about  twenty-five  years  old  and  a  girl 
twelve,  and  that  a  whole  family  in  Salem  had  conformed  to  the 
Church." 

The  society  looked  upon  the  instruction  and  conversion  of 
the  negroes  as  a  principal  branch  of  their  care,  esteeming  it  a 
great  reproach  to  the  Christian  name  that  so  many  thousands  of 
persons  should  continue  in  the  same  state  of  pagan  darkness 
under  a  Christian  government  and  living  in  Christian  families 
as  they  lay  before  under  in  their  own  heathen  countries.  The 
society  immediately  from  their  first  institution  strove  to  pro- 
mote their  conversion,  and  inasmuch  as  their  income  would  not 
enable  them  to  send  numbers  of  catechists  sufficient  to  instruct 
the  negroes,  yet  they  resolved  to  do  their  utmost  and  at  least  to 
give  this  work  the  mark  of  their  highest  approbation.  They 
wrote,  therefore,  to  all  their  missionaries  that  they  should  use 
their  best  endeavors  at  proper  times  to  instruct  the  negroes,  and 
should  especially  take  occasion  to  recommend  it  zealously  to  the 
masters  to  order  their  slaves  at  convenient  times  to  come  to 
them  that  they  might  be  instructed.  These  directions  had  a 
good  effect,  and  some  hundreds  of  negroes  had  been  instructed, 
received  baptism,  and  been  admitted  to  the  communion  and 
lived  very  orderly  lives.     (Pages  6-14.) 

The  Bishop  of  London's  "  Letter  to  the  Masters 
and  Mistresses  of  Families  in  the  English  Planta- 
tions Abroad,  exhorting  them  to  encourage  and 
promote  the  instruction  of  their  negroes  in  the 
Christian  faith,"  and  a  similar  Letter  to  the  Mis- 
sionaries Engaged  in  Preaching  the  Gospel  in  the 
English  Plantations,"  exhibit  the  interest  of  at  least 
one  bishop  of  the  Church  of  England  as  early  as 
1727.  The  work  of  the  "  Society  for  the  Propaga- 
tion of  the  Gospel  in  Foreign  Parts  "  receives  par- 
ticular mention ;  and  the  author  brings  down  his 
sketch  to  the  commencement  of  the  work  among 


A  Brief  Historical  Sketch.  45 

the  negroes  under  the  direction  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church: 

Dean  Stanhope,  of  Canterbury,  states  in  his  sermon  in  1714 
that  success  had  attended  the  efforts  of  the  society,  and  speaks 
of  "  children,  servants,  and  slaves  catechised." 

Bishop  Berkeley  was  in  the  colony  of  Rhode  Island  from  172S 
till  late  in  1730,  and  he  also  preached  a  sermon  before  the  soci- 
ety February  18,  1731,  in  which  he  thus  speaks  of  the  negroes: 
"The  negroes  in  the  government  of  Rhode  Island  are  about 
half  as  many  more  than  the  Indians,  and  both  together  scarcely 
amount  to  a  seventh  part  of  the  whole  colony.  The  religion  of 
these  people,  as  is  natural  to  suppose,  takes  after  that  of  their 
masters:  some  few  are  baptized;  several  frequent  the  different 
assemblies;  and  for  the  greater  part,  none  at  all.  "An  an- 
cient antipathy  to  the  Indians,  whom,  it  seems,  our  first  plant- 
ers (therein  as  in  certain  other  particulars  affecting  to  imitate 
Jews  rather  than  Christians)  imagine  they  had  a  right  to  treat 
on  the  foot  of  Canaanites  or  Amalekites,  together  with  an  ir- 
rational contempt  of  the  blacks  as  creatures  of  another  species, 
who  had  no  right  to  be  instructed  or  admitted  to  the  sacraments, 
have  proved  a  main  obstacle  to  the  conversion  of  these  poor 
people.  To  this  may  be  added  an  erroneous  notion  that  be- 
ing baptized  is  inconsistent  with  a  state  of  slavery.  To  unde- 
ceive them  in  this  particular,  which  had  too  much  weight,  it 
seemed  a  proper  step,  if  the  opinion  of  his  Majesty's  Attorney 
and  Solicitor-general  could  be  procured.  This  opinion  they 
charitably  sent  over,  signed  with  their  own  hands,  which  was 
accordingly  printed  in  Rhode  Island  and  dispersed  through  the 
plantations.  I  heartily  wish  it  may  produce  the  intended  effect. 
It  must  be  owned  that  our  reformed  planters,  with  respect  to  the 
natives  and  the  slaves,  might  learn  from  the  Church  of  Rome 
how  it  is  their  interest  and  duty  to  behave.  Both  French  and 
Spaniards  take  care  to  instruct  both  them  and  their  negroes  in 
the  Popish  religion,  to  the  reproach  of  those  who  profess  a 
better." 

From  a  "  Proposal  to  Establish  a  College  in  Bermuda,"  first 
published  in  1725,  the  bishop  remarks:  "Now  the  clergy  sent 
over  to  America  have  proved,  too  many  of  them,  very  meanly 
qualified,  both  in  learning  and  morals,  for  the  discharge  of  their 


46  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

office.  And,  indeed,  Httle  can  be  expected  from  the  example  or 
instruction  of  tliose  wiio  quit  tlieir  native  country  on  no  otlier 
motive  than  tliat  they  are  not  able  to  procure  a  livelihood  in  it, 
■which  is  known  to  be  often  the  case.  To  this  may  be  imputed 
the  small  care  that  hath  been  taken  to  convert  the  negroes  of 
our  plantations,  who,  to  the  infamy  of  England  and  scandal  of 
the  world,  continue  heathen  under  Christian  masters  and  in 
Christian  countries,  which  would  never  be  if  our  planters  were 
rightly  instructed  and  made  sensible  that  they  disappointed 
their  own  baptism  by  denying  it  to  those  who  belong  to  them ; 
that  it  would  be  of  advantage  to  their  affairs  to  have  slaves  who 
should  'obey  in  all  things  their  masters  according  to  the  flesh, 
not  with  eyeservice  as  men-pleasers,  but  in  singleness  of  heart 
as  fearing  God;'  that  gospel  liberty  consists  with  temporal 
servitude ;  and  that  their  slaves  would  only  become  better  slaves 
by  being  Christians."  (Berkeley's  Works.  Copied  by  Rev.  W. 
W.  Eells.) 

In  1 741  Archbishop  Seeker,  after  enumerating  other  suc- 
cesses, adds:  "In  less  than  forty  years  great  multitudes,  on  the 
whole,  of  negroes  and  Indians,  were  brought  over  to  the  Chris- 
tian faith." 

Bishop  Drummond  in  1754  notices  the  negroes  in  his  sermon 
before  the  society,  and  insists  upon  the  duty  and  safety  of  giv- 
ing them  the  gospel. 

The  amiable  Porteus,  in  1783,  when  Bishop  of  Chester  (after- 
ward Bishop  of  London),  took  a  lively  interest  in  this  work,  and 
preached  a  sermon  before  the  society  in  support  of  it,  which 
may  be  found  in  his  works. 

In  the  year  1783  and  the  following,  soon  after  the  separation 
of  our  colonies  from  the  mother  country,  the  society's  opera- 
tions ceased,  leaving  in  all  the  colonies  forty-three  missionaries, 
two  of  whom  were  in  the  Southern  States,  one  in  North  and  one 
in  South  Carolina.  The  affectionate  valediction  of  the  society 
to  them  was  issued  in  17S5,  Thus  terminated  the  connection  of 
this  noble  society  with  our  country,  which,  from  the  foregoing 
notices  of  its  efforts,  must  have  accomplished  a  great  deal  for 
the  religious  instruction  of  the  negro  population. 

Thus  it  is  perceived  that  the  negroes  were  not  forgotten  by 
the  Church  of  Christ  in  England.  Were  they  remembered  by 
the  Church  of  Christ  in  the  colonies  themselves.?     We  have  no 


A  Brief  Historical  Sketch.  47 

records  of  missions  or  of  missionary  stations  established  by  or 
in  any  of  the  colonies  in  behalf,  exclusively,  of  the  negroes  up 
to  the  year  1738. 

173S.  The  Moravian  or  United  Brethren  were  the  first  who 
formally  attempted  the  establishment  of  missions  exclusively  to 
the  negroes.  A  succinct  account  of  their  several  efforts  down 
to  the  year  1790  is  given  in  the  report  of  the  "Society  for  the 
Propagation  of  the  Gospel  among  the  Heathen,"  at  Salem,  N.C., 
October  5,  1837,  by  Rev.  J.  Renatus  Schmidt,  and  is  as  follows: 

"A  hundred  years  have  now  elapsed  since  the  Renewed 
Church  of  the  Brethren  first  attempted  to  communicate  the  gos- 
pel to  the  many  thousand  negroes  of  our  land.  In  1737  Count 
Zinzendorf  paid  a  visit  to  London,  and  formed  an  acquaintance 
Avith  Gen.  Oglethorpe  and  the  trustees  of  Georgia,  with  whom 
he  conferred  on  the  subject  of  the  mission  to  the  Indians,  which 
the  brethren  had  already  established  in  that  colony  in  1735. 
Some  of  these  gentlemen  were  associates  under  the  will  of  Dr. 
Bray,  who  had  left  funds  to  be  devoted  to  the  conversion  of  the 
negro  slaves  in  South  Carolina;  and  they  solicited  the  Count  to 
procure  them  some  missionaries  for  this  purpose.  On  his  ob- 
jecting that  the  Church  of  England  might  hesitate  to  recognize 
the  ordination  of  the  Brethren's  missionaries,  they  referred  the 
question  to  the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury,  Dr.  Potter,  who  gave 
it  as  his  opinion  '  that  the  Brethren,  being  members  of  an  Epis- 
copal Church  whose  doctrines  contained  nothing  repugnant  to 
the  Thirty-nine  Ai-ticles,  ought  not  to  be  denied  free  access  to 
the  heathen.'  This  declaration  not  only  removed  all  hesitation 
from  the  minds  of  the  trustees  as  to  the  Brethren  amongst  the 
slave  population  of  the  West  Indies — a  great  and  blessed  work, 
which  has,  by  the  gracious  help  of  God,  gone  on  increasing  even 
to  the  present  day." 

The  same  year  Brother  Peter  Boehlcr  was  deputed  to  com- 
mence the  desired  mission,  with  Brother  George  Schulius  as 
his  assistant.  They  set  out  by  way  of  London  in  February, 
1738,  and  repaired,  in  the  first  instance,  to  Georgia,  hoping  to  be 
provided  with  means  for  the  prosecution  of  their  journey  by  the 
colony  of  the  Brethren  already  established  there.  Obstacles 
however  being  interposed  through  the  interested  views  of  cer- 
tain individuals,  this  mission  failed,  and  our  brethren,  settling  at 
Purisburg,  took  charge  of  the  Swiss  colonists  and  their  children 


48  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

in  that  town,  Georgia  not  being  at  that  period  a  slavcholding 
colony.  In  1739  Schulius  departed  this  life.  In  1740  Peter 
Boehler  emigrated  to  Pennsylvania  with  the  whole  Georgia 
colony,  of  which  he  was  minister,  because  they  were  required  to 
bear  arms  in  the  war  against  the  Spaniards,  which  had  recently 
broken  out.  In  1747  and  1748  some  Brethren  belonging  to  Beth- 
lehem undertook  several  long  and  difficult  journeys  through 
Maryland,  Virginia,  and  the  borders  of  North  Carolina  in  order 
to  preach  the  gospel  to  the  negroes,  who,  generally  speaking, 
received  it  with  eagerness.  Various  proprietors,  however,  avow- 
ing their  determination  not  to  suffer  strangers  to  instruct  their 
negroes,  as  they  had  their  own  ministers  whom  they  paid  for 
that  purpose,  our  brethren  ceased  from  their  efforts.  It  appears 
from  the  letters  of  Brother  Spangenberg,  who  spent  the  greater 
part  of  the  year  1749  at  Philadelphia,  and  preached  the  gospel 
to  the  negroes  in  that  city ,  that  the  labors  of  the  Brethren 
amongst  them  were  not  entirely  fruitless.  Thus  he  writes  in 
1751 :  "  On  my  arrival  in  Philadelphia  I  saw  numbers  of  negroes 
still  buried  in  all  their  native  ignorance  and  darkness,  and  my 
soul  was  grieved  for  them.  Soon  after  some  of  them  came  to 
me,  requesting  instruction,  at  the  same  time  acknowledging  their 
ignorance  in  the  most  affecting  manner.  They  begged  that  a 
Aveekly  sermon  might  be  delivered  expressly  for  their  benefit. 
I  complied  with  their  request,  and  confined  myself  to  the  most 
essential  truths  of  Scripture.  Upward  of  seventy  negroes  at- 
tended on  these  occasions,  several  of  whom  were  powerfully 
awakened,  applied  for  further  instruction  and  expressed  a  de- 
sire to  be  united  to  Christ  and  his  Church  by  the  sacrament  of 
baptism,  which  was  accordingly  administered  to  them." 

At  the  Provincial  Sj'uod  which  was  held  in  Pennsylvania  in 
1747  Brother  Christian  Frohlich  was  commissioned  to  take 
charge  of  the  negroes  of  New  York,  who  had  evinced  a  great 
desii-e  for  the  gospel,  and  of  whom  several  had  been  already 
won  for  the  Redeemer  by  means  of  their  attendance  on  the  min- 
istry of  the  word.  In  1751  he  visited  the  scattered  negroes  in 
New  Jersey,  by  whom  he  was  everywhere  received  with  joy, 
and  preached  Christ  crucified  to  a  hundred  of  them  at  once  with 
considerable  effect,  besides  conversing  with  them  at  their  work. 

A  painting  is  preserved  at  Bethlehem  in  which  the  eighteen 
firstfruits  from  the  heathen  who  had  been  brought  to  Christ  by 


A  Brief  Historical  Sketch.  49 

the  instrumentality  of  the  brethren,  and  had  departed  in  the 
faith  prior  to  the  year  1747,  are  represented,  dressed  in  their 
native  costume  and  standing  before  the  throne  of  Christ  with 
palms  in  their  hands,  with  the  inscription  beneath:  "  These  are 
redeemed  from  among  men,  being  the  first  fruits  unto  God  and 
to  the  Lamb."  (Rev.  xiv.  4.)  Amongst  the  number  are  Johan- 
nes, a  negro  of  South  Carolina,  and  Jupiter,  a  negro  from  New 
York.  The  graves  of  colored  Christians  who  have  died  in  the 
Lord  are  also  met  with  in  several  of  our  burial  grounds  in  the 
North  American  congregations. 

At  the  request  of  Mr.  Knox,  the  English  Secretary  of  State, 
an  attempt  was  made  to  evangelize  the  negroes  of  Georgia.  In 
1774  the  brethren,  Lewis  MuUer,  of  the  Academy  at  Niesky,and 
George  Wagner  were  called  to  North  America,  and  in  the  year 
following,  having  been  joined  by  Brother  Andrew  Broesing,  of 
North  Carolina,  they  took  up  their  abode  at  Knoxboro,  a 
plantation  so  called  for  its  proprietor,  the  gentleman  above  men- 
tioned. They  were,  however,  almost  constant  sufferers  from 
the  fevers  which  prevailed  in  these  parts,  and  Muller  finished 
his  course  in  October  of  the  same  year.  He  had  preached  the 
gospel  with  acceptance  to  both  whites  and  blacks,  yet  without 
any  abiding  results.  The  two  remaining  brethren  being  called 
upon  to  bear  arms  on  the  breaking  out  of  the  war  of  independ- 
ence, Broesing  repaired  to  Wachovia,  in  North  Carolina,  and 
Wagner  set  out  in  1779  for  England. 

In  the  great  Northampton  revival,  under  the  preaching  of 
Dr.  Edwards  in  1735-36,  when  for  the  space  of  five  or  six  weeks 
together  the  conversions  averaged  at  least  "  four  a  day,"  Dr. 
Edwards  remarks:  "  There  are  several  negroes  who,  from  what 
was  seen  in  them  then  and  what  is  discernible  in  them  since, 
appear  to  have  been  truly  born  again  in  the  late  remarkable 
season." 

At  a  meeting  of  the  General  Association  of  the  colony  of 
Connecticut  in  1738  "  It  was  inquired  whether  the  infant  slaves 
of  Christian  masters  may  be  baptized  in  the  right  of  their  mas- 
ters, they  solemnly  promising  to  train  them  in  the  nurture  and 
admonition  of  the  Lord,  and  whether  it  is  the  duty  of  such  mas- 
ters to  offer  such  children  and  thus  religiously  to  promise. 
Both  questions  were  affirmatively  answered."  (Records  as  re- 
ported by  Rev.  C.  Chapin,  D.D.) 
4 


50  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves, 

Of  the  condition  of  the  negroes  about  this  time  in  New  En- 
gland it  has  been  said:  "  Their  lot  was  far  from  being  severe. 
Thej  were  often  bought  by  conscientious  persons,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  being  well  instructed  in  the  Christian  religion.  Thej 
had  universally  the  enjoyment  of  the  Sabbath  as  a  day  of  rest 
or  of  devotion." 

Looking  over  the  old  records  of  "  Entryes  for  Publications" 
(/.  c,  for  marriages)  "  within  the  town  of  Boston,"  I  observed 
the  following,  among  others: 

"1707.  Negroe. — Essex,  a  Negro  man  of  Mr.  William  Clark, 
Esqre.;  Gueno,  a  R.  Wo.  of  Walle  Winthrop,  Esqre.  Negro. 
Will,  reg.  serv't  of  Wm.  Webster:  Betty,  reg'r  serv't  of  Wm. 
Keen,  March  9th. 

"  1710.  Negroes. — Charles  and  Peggy,  Negro  Serv'ts  of  Sam'l 
Hill;  Esther,  Negro  serv't  of  Robert  Gutridge,  Oct'r  27." 

By  which  it  would  appear  that  the  community  was  not  indif- 
ferent to  their  condition,  inasmuch  as  their  marriages  were  pub- 
lic and  legalized. 

1747.  Direct  efforts  for  the  religious  instruction  of  negroes, 
continued  through  a  series  of  years,  were  made  by  Presbyte- 
rians in  Virginia.  They  commenced  with  the  Rev.  Samuel 
Davies,  afterward  President  of  Nassau  Hall,  and  the  Rev.  John 
Todd,  of  Hanover  Presbyterj'. 

Mr.  Davies  began  his  ministry  in  Hanover  in  1747,  and  left 
Virginia  about  1773  or  1774.  Mr.  Davies,  four  or  five  years  after 
his  settlement  in  Hanover,  "  found  it  impossible  to  afford  even  a 
monthly  supply  of  preaching  to  the  congregation  organized  by 
him.  Accordingly  he  sought  an  assistant  in  Mr.  John  Todd,  a 
young  preacher  from  Pennsylvania,  who  was  installed  in  the 
upper  part  of  Hanover  November  12,  1752." 

In  a  letter  addressed  to  a  friend  and  a  member  of  the  "  Soci- 
ety in  London  for  Promoting  Christian  Knowledge  among  the 
Poor,"  in  the  year  1755,  he  thus  expresses  himself:  "The  poor, 
neglected  negroes,  who  are  so  far  from  having  money  to  pur- 
chase books  that  they  themselves  are  the  property  of  others; 
who  were  originally  African  savages,  and  never  heard  of  the 
name  of  Jesus  and  his  gospel  until  they  arrived  at  the  land  of 
their  slavery  in  America;  whom  their  masters  generally  neglect, 
and  whose  souls  none  care  for,  as  though  immortality  were  not 
a  privilege  common  to  them  as  with  their  masters — these  poor. 


A  Brief  Historical  Sketch.  51 

unhappy  Africans  are  objects  of  my  compassion,  and  I  think 
the  most  proper  objects  of  the  society's  charity.  The  inliab- 
itants  of  Virginia  are  computed  to  be  about  300,000  men,  one- 
half  of  which  number  are  supposed  to  be  negroes.  The  number 
of  those  who  attend  my  ministry  at  particular  times  is  uncer- 
tain, but  generally  about  three  hundred  who  give  a  stated  at- 
tendance ;  and  never  have  I  been  so  struck  with  the  appearance 
of  an  assembly  as  when  I  have  glanced  my  eye  to  that  part  of 
the  meeting-house  where  they  usually  sit,  adorned  (for  so  it  has 
appeared  to  me)  with  so  many  black  countenances,  eagerly  at- 
tentive to  every  word  they  hear,  and  frequently  bathed  in  tears. 
A  considerable  number  of  them  (about  a  hundred)  have  been 
baptized,  after  a  proper  time  for  instruction,  having  given  credi- 
ble evidence  not  only  of  their  acquaintance  with  the  important 
doctrines  of  the  Christian  religion,  but  also  a  deep  sense  of  them 
in  their  minds,  attested  by  a  life  of  strict  piety  and  holiness.  As 
they  are  not  sufficiently  polished  to  dissemble  with  a  good  grace, 
they  express  the  sentiments  of  their  souls  so  much  in  the  lan- 
guage of  simple  nature  and  with  such  genuine  indications  of 
sincerity  that  it  is  impossible  to  suspect  their  professions,  es- 
pecially when  attended  with  a  truly  Christian  life  and  exemplary 
conduct.  There  are  multitudes  of  them  in  different  places  who 
are  willing  and  eagerly  desirous  to  be  instructed  and  to  embrace 
every  opportunity  of  acquainting  themselves  with  the  doctrines 
of  the  gospel;  and  though  they  have  generally  very  little  help 
to  learn  to  read,  yet  to  my  agreeable  surprise  many  of  them,  by 
dint  of  application  in  their  leisure  hours,  have  made  such  prog- 
ress that  they  can  intelligibly  read  a  plain  author,  and  especially 
their  Bibles;  and  pity  it  is  that  any  of  them  should  be  without 
them."  Mr.  Davies  furnished  the  negroes  with  what  books  he 
could  procure  for  them,  and  requested  from  the  society  a  supply 
of  Bibles  and  Watts's  psalms  and  hymns,  which  enabled  them  to 
gratify  their  peculiar  taste  for  psalmody.  "  Sundry  of  them  have 
lodged  all  night  in  my  kitchen,  and  sometimes  Avhen  I  have 
awakened  about  2  or  3  o'clock  in  the  morning  a  torrent  of  sacred 
harmony  has  poured  into  my  chamber  and  carried  my  mind 
away  to  heaven.  In  this  seraphic  exercise  some  of  them  spend 
almost  the  whole  night.  I  wish,  sir,  you  and  other  benefactors 
could  hear  some  of  these  sacred  concerts.  I  am  persuaded  it 
would  surprise  and  please  you  more  than  an  oratorio  or  a  St. 


52  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

Cecilia's  dav."  He  observes:  "The  negroes,  above  all  the 
human  species  that  ever  I  knew,  have  an  ear  for  music  and  a 
kind  of  ecstatic  delight  in  psalmody,  and  there  are  no  books  they 
learn  so  soon  or  take  so  much  pleasure  in  as  those  used  in  that 
heavenly  pai't  of  divine  worship." 

On  one  sacramental  occasion  "  he  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing 
forty  of  them  around  the  table  of  the  Lord,  all  of  whom  made  a 
creditable  profession  of  Christianity,  and  sevei-al  of  them  gave 
usual  evidence  of  sincerity,  and  he  believed  that  more  than 
i,ooo  negroes  attended  on  his  ministry  at  the  different  places 
where  he  alternately  officiated." 

Mr.  Davies  writes  Dr.  Bellamy  in  1757:  "  What  little  success 
I  have  lately  had  has  been  chiefly  among  the  extremes  of  gen- 
tlemen and  negroes.  Indeed,  God  has  been  remarkably  work- 
ing among  the  latter.  I  have  baptized  about  150  adults,  and  at 
the  last  sacramental  solemnity  I  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing  the 
table  graced  with  about  sixty  black  faces.  They  generally  be- 
have well,  as  far  as  I  can  hear,  though  there  are  some  instances 
of  apostasy  among  them."  The  counties  in  which  Mr.  Davies 
labored  were  Hanover,  Henrico,  Goochland,  Carolina,  and 
Louisa. 

"The  Society  for  Propagating  the  Gospel  in  Foreign  Parts," 
already  noticed,  in  1745  established  a  school  in  Charleston,  S.  C, 
under  the  direction  of  Commissary  Garden.  It  flourished  greatly 
and  seemed  to  answer  their  utmost  wishes.  It  had  at  one  time 
sixty  scholars  and  sent  forth  annually  about  twenty  young  ne- 
groes well  instructed  in  the  English  language  and  the  Christain 
faith.  This  school  was  established  in  St.  Philip's  Church  and 
some  of  its  scholars  were  living  in  1822,  of  orderly  and  decent 
characters.     (Bishop  Meade  and  Dr.  Dalcho.) 

The  year  1747  was  marked  in  the  colony  of  Georgia  "hy  the 
authorized  introduction  of  slaves.  Twenty-three  representatives 
from  the  different  districts  met  in  Savannah,  and  after  appoint- 
ing Major  Horton  President  they  entered  into  sundry  resolu- 
tions, the  substance  of  which  was  "  that  the  owners  of  slaves 
should  educate  the  young  and  use  every  possible  means  of  mak- 
ing religious  impressions  upon  the  minds  of  the  aged,  and  that 
all  acts  of  inhumanity  should  be  punished  by  the  civil  authority." 

1764.  The  Rev.  Ezra  Stiles,  D.D.,  afterward  President  of 
Yale  College,  and  Dr.  Samuel  Hopkins  undertook  the  educa- 


A  Bi'icf  Historical  Sketch.  53 

tion  of  two  apparently  promising  negroes  with  a  view  to  the 
ministry,  but  it  was  finally  a  failure.     (Dr.  Plunier's  report.) 

1770.  While  Dr.  Stiles  was  pastor  in  Newport,  R.  I.,  there 
were  many  African  slaves  in  that  town.  "  Of  eighty  communi- 
cants in  his  Church  in  that  town,  seven  were  negroes.  These 
occasionally  met  by  his  direction  for  religious  improvement  in 
his  study." 

Methodism  was  introduced  into  this  country  in  New  York  in 
1766,  and  the  first  missionaries  were  sent  out  by  Mr.  Wesley  in 
1769.  One  of  these,  Mr.  Pilmore,  in  a  letter  to  Mr.  Wesley 
from  New  York  in  1770,  says:  "  The  number  of  blacks  that  at- 
tend the  preaching  affects  me  much."  The  first  regular  Con- 
ference was  held  in  Philadelphia  in  1773;  number  of  ministers 
ten,  and  of  members  1,160.  From  this  year  to  1776  there  was  a 
great  revival  of  religion  in  Virginia  under  the  preaching  of  the 
Methodists  in  connection  with  Rev.  Mr.  Jarratt,  of  the  Episco- 
pal Church,  which  spread  through  fourteen  counties  in  Virginia 
and  two  in  North  Carolina.  One  letter  states  "  the  chapel  was 
full  of  white  and  black;"  another,  "  hundreds  of  negroes  were 
among  them  with  tears  streaming  down  their  faces."  At 
Roanoke  another  remarks:  "  In  general  the  white  people  were 
within  the  chapel  and  the  black  people  without." 

17S0.  At  the  Eighth  Conference  in  Baltimore,  the  following 
question  appeared  in  the  minutes:  "  Question  25.  Ought  not  the 
assistant  to  meet  the  colored  people  himself  and  appoint  as 
helpers  in  his  absence  proper  white  persons,  and  not  suffer  them 
to  stay  late  and  meet  by  themselves?  Answer.  Yes."  Under 
the  preaching  of  Mr.  Garretson  in  Maryland,  "  hundreds  both 
white  and  black  expressed  their  love  of  Jesus." 

1786.  The  first  return  of  colored  members  distinct  from 
white  occurs  in  the  minutes  of  this  year,  and  then  yearly  after- 
ward— white,  18,791 ;  colored,  1,890.  "  It  w  ill  be  perceived  from 
the  above,"  says  Dr.  Bangs  in  his  "  History  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,"  "that  a  considerable  number  of  colored  per- 
sons had  been  received  into  the  Church,  and  were  so  returned 
in  the  minutes  of  the  Conference."  Hence  it  appears  that  at  an 
early  period  of  the  Methodist  ministry  in  this  country  it  had 
turned  its  attention  to  this  part  of  the  population. 

Mr.  Rankin,  writing  on  the  general  state  of  Methodism  in 
the  colonies  at  the  commencement  of  hostilities,  observes:  "  In 


54  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

May,  1777,  we  had  forty  preachers  in  the  different  circuits  and 
about  7,000  members  in  the  society,  besides  many  hundreds  of 
negroes  who  were  convinced  of  sin,  and  many  of  them  happy  in 
the  love  of  God."     ("  Life  of  Coke,"  page  33.) 

In  the  year  1786  the  following  case  of  conscience  was  over- 
tured  from  Donegal  Presbytery,  in  the  Synod  of  New  York 
and  Philadelphia,  namely:  "  Whether  Christian  masters  or  mis- 
tresses ought  in  duty  to  have  such  children  baptized  as  are  under 
their  care,  though  born  of  parents  not  in  the  communion  of  any 
Christian  Church  ?  " 

Upon  this  overture  "  the  Synod  are  of  opinion  that  Christian 
masters  and  mistresses  whose  religious  professions  and  conduct 
are  such  as  to  give  them  a  right  to  the  ordinance  of  baptism  for 
their  own  children,  may  and  ought  to  dedicate  the  children  of 
their  household  to  God  in  that  ordinance  when  they  have  no 
scruple  of  conscience  to  the  contrary."  (Minutes,  page  413,  and 
Minutes  of  General  Assembly,  page  97.) 

And  on  the  next  page  (414)  it  was  overtured  "  whether 
Christian  slaves  having  children  at  the  entire  direction  of  un- 
christian masters,  and  not  having  it  in  their  power  to  instruct 
them  in  religion,  are  bound  to  have  them  baptized;  and  whether 
a  gospel  minister  in  this  predicament  ought  to  baptize  them. 
The  Synod  determined  the  question  in  the  affirmative. 

17S7.  The  minutes  of  the  Methodist  Conference  for  this 
year  furnish  the  following  question  and  answer,  indicative  of 
continued  interest  in  the  colored  population:  "Question  17.  What 
directions  shall  we  give  for  the  promotion  of  the  spiritual  wel- 
fare of  the  colored  people.''  Answer.  We  conjure  all  our  min- 
isters and  preachers  by  the  love  of  God  and  the  salvation  of 
souls,  and  do  require  them  by  all  the  authorit}'  that  is  invested 
in  us  to  leave  nothing  undone  for  the  spiritual  benefit  and  sal- 
vation of  them  within  their  respecti\'e  circuits  or  districts ;  and 
for  this  purpose  to  embrace  every  opportunity  of  inquiring  into 
the  state  of  their  souls,  and  to  unite  in  society  those  who  appear 
to  have  a  real  desire  of  fleeing  from  the  wrath  to  come ;  to  meet 
such  in  class,  and  to  exercise  the  whole  Methodist  discipline 
among  them."     Number  of  colored  members,  3,893. 

1790.  Again:  "Question.  What  can  be  done  in  order  to  in- 
struct poor  children,  white  and  black,  to  read.''  Answer.  Let  us 
labor  as   the  heart    and   soul  of  one  man  to  establish  Sunday 


A  Brief  Historical  Sketch.  55 

schools  in  or  near  the  place  of  public  worship.  Let  persons  be 
appointed  by  the  bishops,  elders,  deacons,  or  preachers  to  teach 
gratis  all  that  will  attend  and  have  a  capacity  to  learn,  from  6 
in  the  morning  till  lo,  and  from  2  p.m.  till  6,  where  it  does  not 
interfere  with  public  worship.  The  council  shall  compile  a 
proper  schoolbook  to  teach  them  learning  and  piety."  The  ex- 
periment was  made,  but  it  proved  unsuccessful  and  was  discon- 
tinued.    Number  of  colored  members  this  year,  11,682. 

The  Methodist  is  the  only  denomination  which  has  preserved 
returns  of  the  number  of  colored  members  in  its  connection.  I 
find  it  impossible  to  make  any  estimate  of  the  number  in  con- 
nection with  the  other  denominations.  The  Methodists  met 
with  more  success  during  this  period  in  the  Middle  and  Southern 
States  than  in  the  Northern,  and  as  they  paid  particular  atten- 
tion to  the  negroes  large  numbers  were  brought  under  their  in- 
fluence. 

The    first  Baptist   Church  in  this  country   was    founded    in 
Providence,  R.  I.,  by  Roger  Williams  in  1639.     Nearly  one  hun- 
dred years  after  the  settlement  of  America  "  only   seventeen 
Baptist    Churches   had  arisen   in   it."     The   Baptist   Church  in 
Charleston,  S.  C,  was  founded  in  1690.     The  denomination  ad- 
vanced slowly  through  the  Middle  and  Southern  States,  and  in 
1790  they  had  Churches  in  them  all.     Revivals  of  religion  were 
enjoyed,  particularly  one  in  Virginia,  which  commenced  in  17S5 
and  continued  until  1791  or  1792.     "Thousands  were  converted 
and  baptized,  besides  many  who  joined  the  Methodists  and  Pres- 
byterians."    A  large  number  of  negroes  were  admitted  to  the 
Baptist  Churches  during  the  seasons  of  revival,  as  well  as  on 
ordinary  occasions.     They  were,  however,   not  gathered   into 
Churches  distinct  from  the  whites  south  of  Pennsylvania,  ex- 
cept in  Georgia.     Brief  notices   of  Churches  composed  exclu- 
sively of  negroes  will   be   given  in   the  second    period  of  this 
sketch.     Before  the    Revolution    the    negroes    in    Virginia   at- 
tended in  crowds. the  Episcopal   Church,  there  being  no  other 
denomination  of   Christians  of  consequence  in  the   State;  but 
upon  the  introduction  of  other  denominations  they  went  off  to 
them.     Old  Robert  Carter,  or  Counselor,  or  King  Carter,  as  he 
was  commonly  called  among  the  richest  men  in  the  State,  own- 
ing some  700  or  800  slaves  and  large  tracts  of  land,  built  Christ's 
Church  in  Lancaster  County,  Virginia,  and  reserved  one-fourth 


56  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

for  his  servants  and  tenants.  He  was  himself  baptized,  and  aft- 
erward emancipated  a  large  number  of  his  negroes,  and  living 
fourteen  or  fifteen  years  a  Baptist  embraced  and  died  in  the  faith 
of  Swedenborg. 

Our  author  proceeds  to  give  a  brief  summary 
of  the  moral  and  religious  results  of  the  war  of  in- 
dependence. However  salutary  in  a  political  sense 
the  struggle  of  the  colonies  with  the  mother  coun- 
try might  be,  the  effect  of  a  war  which  divided 
whole  communities  and  often  set  brother  against 
brother  and  father  against  son  could  only  be  dis- 
astrous to  tlie  religious  welfare  of  the  people.  War 
carries  on  its  front  an  aggregation  of  horrors;  and 
leaves  in  its  wake  death,  desolation,  and  moral  cor- 
ruption in  every  community.  It  might  be  appro- 
priately said  that  the  American  war  of  the  Revolu- 
tion, although  right  and  just  from  every  point  of 
view,  undoubtedly  left  all  moral  and  religious 
principles  in  a  state  of  solution,  mixed  up  in  a  tur- 
bid current  of  appalling  wickedness.  It  is  not  our 
purpose  to  examine  the  methods  taken  to  redeem 
and  purify  the  newly  erected  states.  We  have  in 
these  pages  to  deal  exclusively  with  the  interests 
of  the  African  part  of  the  population. 


CHAPTER  V. 
A  Brief  Historical  Sketch  (Continued). 

THE  author  whom  we  quoted  in  the  last  chapter 
has  given  an  impartial  review  of  the  special 
labors  of  missionaries  of  various  evangehcal 
churches  among  the  negroes.  We  cannot  con- 
dense the  information  he  has  given  in  smaller  space, 
and  therefore  we  copy  from  his  pages : 

1790.  The  interest  awakened  in  Virginia  by  the  labors  of 
President  Davies  continued  throughout  this  period,  as  appears 
by  the  following  letter  from  the  venerable  Dr.  Alexander,  of 
Princeton: 

"  In  addition  to  the  efforts  made  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Davies,  of 
Hanover,  I  would  mention  the  name  of  a  faithful  coadjutor  in 
this  Held,  the  effects  of  whose  labors  are  still  apparent  in  Cub 
Creek  congregation  in  Charlotte  County,  Virginia.  The  min- 
ister to  whom  I  allude  was  the  Rev.  Robert  Henry,  a  native  of 
Scotland,  who  was  for  many  years  the  pastor  of  Cub  Creek  and 
Briery  congregations  united,  although  their  distance  apart  was 
not  less  than  twentj'  miles.  This  gentleman  possessed  very 
humble  talents  as  a  preacher,  blundered  much,  and  sometimes 
lost  himself,  so  that  he  had  to  conclude  abruptly.  He  was  so 
absent  that  on  one  occasion  after  preaching,  finding  the  horse  of 
another  person  hitched  where  he  commonly  left  his  own  beast, 
he  mounted  and  rode  him  without  noticing  the  mistake.  He 
was  notoriously  a  man  of  prayer;  for  when  he  turned  out  of  the 
public  road  to  go  to  the  house  where  he  usually  lodged  the 
evening  before  he  preached  at  Briery,  he  could  be  heard  pray- 
ing aloud  long  before  he  was  in  sight,  and  sometimes  he  became 
so  much  engaged. that  his  old  bald  horse  would  come  up  and 
stop  at  the  gate  whilst  he  was  still  in  earnest  supplication. 

"This  man  judiciously  turned  much  of  his  attention  to  the 
negroes,  and  to  them  his  ministry  was  attended  with  abimdant 
success.  Many  Avere  converted  and  gathered  into  the  Church 
at  Cub  Creek.  As  this  congregation  was  situated  on  the  north- 
ern bank  of  Staunton  River,  where  the  land  is  very  fertile,  there 

(57) 


58  TJie  Gospel  among  the  Slaves, 

were  se^'cral  large  estates,  possessing  many  slaves,  within  reach 
of  the  house  of  worship  where  he  preached." 

The  Rev.  Henry  Lacy  succeeded  Mr.  Henry,  during  whose 
ministrations  at  Cub  Creek  about  two  hundred  were  added  to 
the  Church.  There  were  sixty  belonging  to  the  Church  under 
the  care  of  Mr.  Cob.    (Rev.  W.  S.  Plumer's  report.) 

Dr.  Alexander  proceeds:  "  Many  years  after  Mr.  Henry's 
death  I  was  settled  for  several  years  in  this  county,  and  preached 
at  the  same  places  where  Mr.  Henry  had  labored.  At  Cub 
Creek  I  found  about  seventy  black  communicants,  twenty-four 
of  whom  belonged  to  one  estate.  They  were,  in  general,  as  or- 
derly and  as  constant  in  their  attendance  on  the  word  preached 
as  the  whites.  Some  of  them  had  been  received  in  Mr.  Henry's 
time,  but  others  afterward.  The  session  of  the  Church  appoint- 
ed two  or  three  leading  men  among  them  to  be  a  sort  of  over- 
seers or  superintendents  of  the  rest,  and  we  found  that  they  per- 
formed their  duties  faithfully. 

"  It  was  in  this  same  county,  and  very  much  to  the  large  col- 
ored congregation  at  Cub  Creek,  that  Dr.  Rice  labored  after  I 
loft  the  place.  He  was  when  first  settled  pastor  of  Cub  Creek 
and  Bethesda,  a  new  congregation  which  grew  out  of  the  former. 
As  he  was  willing  to  bestow  a  part  of  his  time  entirely  to  the 
blacks,  f/ic  Committee  on  Missions  of  the  General  Assembly  ap- 
pointed him  for  about  three  months  in  the  year  to  labor  among 
them,  and  I  know  that  he  was  much  encouraged  in  his  work, 
had  some  very  promising  young  converts,  and  the  number  of 
communicants  was  not  diminished  in  his  time.  The  present 
pastor  (1S40)  is  the  Rev.  Clement  Read,  a  native  of  the  county. 
He  has  labored  there  and  at  Bethesda  for  many  years  past.  In 
general  the  negroes  'vere  folloxuers  of  the  Baptists  in  Virginia,  and 
after  awhile,  as  they  permitted  many  colored  men  to  preach,  the 
great  majority  of  them  went  to  hear  preachers  of  their  own 
color,  which  was  attended  with  many  evils. 

"  In  some  parts  of  the  State  the  Methodists  also  paid  much  at- 
tention to  the  negroes  and  received  many  of  them  into  their  so- 
ciety, but  still  professors  among  the  Baptists  were  far  more 
numerous.  In  many  instances  those  who  had  been  brought 
into  the  Presbyterian  Church  were  swept  off  by  one  or  the  other 
of  these  sects,  but  as  long  as  I  was  acquainted  with  the  con- 
gregation at  Cub  Creek  I  never   knew  one  of  them  to   leave 


A  Brief  Historical  Sketch.  59 

their  own  communion  for  anotlier.  We  had  the  testimony  of 
their  masters  and  mistresses  to  their  conscientiousness,  fidelity, 
and  diligence.  The  lady  who  owned  twenty-five  of  the  com- 
municants selected  all  her  house  servants  from  the  number, 
though  not  herself  a  communicant  in  the  Presbyterian  Church. 
And  on  several  estates,  instead  of  overseers,  some  of  these  pious 
men  were  appointed  to  superintend  the  labor  of  the  other  field 
servants." 

The  Rev.  Henry  Patillo,  pastor  of  the  Grassy  Creek  and 
Nutbush  Churches,  in  Greenville  County,  North  Carolina,  la- 
bored successfully  among  the  negroes  about  this  time,  the  good 
effects  of  whose  efforts  continued  to  be  felt  for  many  years  after. 
(Dr.  Plumer's  report  to  Synods  of  North  Carolina  and  Virginia.) 

1792.  Toward  the  close  of  this  year  the  first  colored  Baptist 
Church  in  the  city  of  Savannah  began  to  build  a  place  of  wor- 
ship. The  corporation  of  the  city  gave  them  a  lot  for  that  pur- 
pose. The  origin  of  this  Church.,  the  parent  of  several  others, 
is  briefly  as  follows:  George  Leile,  sometimes  called  George 
Sharp,  was  born  in  Virginia  about  1750.  His  master  sometime 
before  the  American  war  removed  and  settled  in  Burke  County, 
Georgia.  Mr.  Sharp  was  a  Baptist  and  a  deacon  in  a  Baptist 
Church,  of  which  Rev.  Matthew  Moore  was  pastor.  George 
was  converted  and  baptized  under  Mr.  Moore's  ministry.  The 
Church  gave  him  liberty  to  preach.  He  began  to  labor  with 
good  success  at  different  plantations.  Mr.  Sharp  gave  him  his 
freedom  not  long  after  he  began  to  preach.  For  about  three 
years  he  preached  at  Brampton  and  Yamacraw,  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  Savannah,  On  the  evacuation  of  the  country  in  1782 
and  1783  he  went  to  Jamaica.  Previous  to  his  departure  he 
came  up  from  the  vessel  lying  below  the  city  in  the  river,  and 
baptized  an  African  woman  by  the  name  of  Kate  belonging  to 
Mrs.  Eunice  Hogg,  and  Andrew,  his  wife  Hannah,  and  Hagar, 
belonging  to  the  venerable  Mr.  Jonathan  Bryan. 

The  Baptist  cause  among  the  negroes  in  Jamaica  owes  its 
origin  to  the  indefatigable  and  pious  labors  of  this  worthy  man, 
George  Leile.  It  does  not  come  within  my  design  to  introduce 
an  account  of  his  efforts  in  that  island.  I  shall  add  only  that  in 
17S4  he  commenced  preaching  at  Kingston  and  formed  a  Church, 
and  in  1791  had  gathered  a  company  of  450  communicants  and 
commenced  the  erection  of  a  commodious  mectiniihouse.     It 


6o  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

finally  cost,  with  steeple  and  bell,  £4,000.  He  was  alive  in  1810 
and  about  sixty  years  of  age. 

About  nine  months  after  George  Leile  left  Georgia,  Andrew, 
surnamed  Bryan,  a  man  of  good  sense,  great  zeal,  and  some 
natural  elocution,  began  to  exhort  his  black  brethren  and  friends. 
He  and  his  followers  were  reprimanded  and  forbidden  to  en- 
gage further  in  religious  exercises.  He  would,  however,  pray, 
sing,  and  encourage  his  fellow-worshipers  to  seek  the  Lord. 
Their  evening  assemblies  were  broken  up  and  those  found 
present  were  punished  with  stripes.  Andrew  Bryan  and  Sam- 
son, his  brother,  converted  about  a  year  after  him,  were  twice 
imprisoned,  and  they  with  about  fifty  others  were  whipped. 
When  publicly  whipped,  and  bleeding  under  his  wounds,  An- 
drew declared  that  he  rejoiced  not  only  to  be  whipped,  but  would 
freely  suffer  death  for  the  cause  of  Jesus  Christ;  and  that  while 
he  had  life  and  opportunity  he  would  continue  to  preach  Christ. 
He  was  faithful  to  his  vow,  and  by  patient  continuance  in  'cvell- 
doing  he  put  to  silence  and  shamed  his  adversaries,  and  influential 
advocates  and  patrons  were  raised  up  for  him.  Liberty  was 
given  Andrew  by  the  civil  authority  to  continue  his  religious 
meetings  under  certain  regulations.  His  master  gave  him  the 
use  of  his  barn  at  Brampton,  three  miles  from  Savannah,  where 
he  preached  for  two  years  with  little  interruption. 

Not  long  after  Andrew  began  his  ministry  he  Avas  visited  by 
the  Rev.  Thomas  Barton,  who  baptized  eighteen  of  his  follow- 
ers on  profession  of  their  faith.  The  next  visit  was  from  the 
Rev.  Abraham  Marshall,  of  Kioka,  who  was  accompanied  by  a 
young  colored  preacher  by  the  name  of  Jesse  Peter,  from  the 
vicinity  of  Augusta.  On  the  20th  of  January,  1788,  Mr.  Marshall 
ordained  Andrew  Bryan,  baptized  forty  of  his  hearers,  and  con- 
stituted them  with  others,  sixty-nine  in  number,  a  Church,  of 
which  Andrew  was  pastor.  Such  was  the  origin  of  the  first  col- 
ored Baptist  Church  in  Savannah.  ("  Holcombe's  Letters," 
"Analytical  Repository,"  and  "  Benedict's  History  of  Baptists," 
from  which  the  preceding  account  has  been  taken.) 

Before  dismissing  this  notice,  I  cannot  forbear  introducing 
the  remarks  of  Dr.  Holcombe  on  Andrew  Bryan,  written  in 
181 2:  "Andrew  Bryan  has,  long  ago,  not  only  honorably  ob- 
tained liberty,  but  a  handsome  estate.  His  fleecy  and  well-set 
locks  have  been  bleached  by  eighty  winters;  and,  dressed  like 


A  Brief  Historical  Sketch.  6l 

a  Bishop  of  London,  he  rides,  moderately  corpulent,  in  his 
chair,  and  with  manlj  features,  of  a  jetty  hue,  fills  every  per- 
son to  whom  he  gracefully  bows  with  pleasure  and  veneration, 
by  displaying  in  smiles  even  rows  of  natural  teeth,  as  white  as 
ivory,  and  a  pair  of  fine  black  eyes,  sparkling  with  intelligence, 
benevolence,  and  joy.  In  giving  daily  thanks  to  God  for  his 
mercies,  my  aged  friend  seldom  forgets  to  mention  the  favora- 
ble change  that  has  of  late  years  appeared  through  the  lower 
parts  of  Georgia,  as  well  as  of  South  Carolina,  in  the  treatment 
of  servants."     (Letter  17.) 

1793.  The  African  Church  in  Augusta,  Ga.,  was  gathered  by 
the  labors  of  Jesse  Peter,  and  was  constituted  this  year  by  Rev. 
Abraham  Marshall  and  David  Tinsley.  Jesse  Peter  was  also 
called  Jesse  Golfin  on  account  the  name  of  his  master,  who  lived 
twelve  miles  below  Augusta. 

The  number  of  Baptists  in  the  United  States  this  year  w^as 
73,471.  Allowing  one-fourth  to  be  negroes,  the  denomination 
would  embrace  between  eighteen  and  nineteen  thousand. 

1795.  The  returns  of  the  colored  members  in  the  Methodist 
denomination  from  1791  to  1795,  inclusive,  were  12,884,  ^Z^^l^i 
16,227,  i3)^i4?  ^nd  12,170. 

Several  Annual  Conferences  recommended  a  general  fast  ^  to 
be  held  in  March,  1796,  and  in  the  enumeration  of  blessings  to 
be  invoked  the  last  mentioned  was  "  that  Africans  and  Indians 
may  help  to  fill  the  pure  Church  of  God."  And  in  the  matters 
recommended  as  subjects  of  grateful  remembrance  in  the  day 
of  thanksgiving  for  the  last  Thursday  in  October,  1796,  the  last 
mentioned  is:  "And  for  African  liberty;  we  feel  grateful  that 
many  thousands  of  these  poor  people  are  free  and  pious." 

1797.  The  Methodists  reported  in  1796  11,280  colored  mem- 
bers. The  recapitulation  of  the  numbers  for  1797  is  given  by 
states,  and  as  it  is  a  most  interesting  document,  I  insert  it  entire, 
so  far  as  it  relates  to  the  neeroes. 


State.  Members. 

Massachusetts 8 

Rhode  Island 2 

Connecticut 15 

New  York 238 

New  Jersey 127 

Pennsylvania 198 

Delaware 923 

Maryland S,io6 


State.  Members. 

Virginia 2,490 

North  Carolina 2,071 

South  Carolina 890 

Georgia 148 

Tennessee 42 

Kentucky 57 


Making  a  total  of i-,2i5 


62  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

Nearly  onc-foiirth  of  the  whole  number  of  members  were  col- 
ored.    There  w  ere  three  only  in  Canada. 

Dr.  Bang  adds:  "It  will  be  seen  by  the  above  enumeration 
that  there  were  upward  of  12,000  people  of  color  attached  to  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  These  were  chielly  in  the  South- 
ern States,  and  had  been  gathered  principally  fi-om  the  slave 
population.  At  an  early  period  of  the  Methodist  ministry  in 
this  country  it  had  turned  its  attention  and  directed  its  efforts 
toward  these  people  with  the  view  to  bring  them  to  the  enjoy- 
ment of  gospel  blessings.  The  preachers  deplored  with  the 
deepest  sympathy  their  unhappy  condition,  especially  their  en- 
slavement to  sin  and  Satan ;  and  while  they  labored  unsuccess- 
fully by  all  prudent  means  to  effect  their  disenthrallment  from 
their  civil  bondage,  they  Avere  amply  rewarded  for  their  evan- 
gelical efforts  to  raise  them  from  their  moral  degradation,  by 
seeing  thousands  of  them  happily  converted  to  God.  These 
efforts  added  much  to  the  labors  of  the  preachers,  for  such  was 
the  condition  of  the  slaves  that  they  were  not  permitted,  on 
working  days,  to  attend  the  public  administration  of  the  word 
in  company  with  their  masters ;  and  hence  the  preachers  de- 
voted the  evenings  to  their  instruction  after  the  customary  labors 
of  the  day  were  closed.  And  although  at  first  there  Avas  much 
aversion  manifested  by  the  masters  toward  these  benevolent  ef- 
forts to  elevate  the  condition  of  the  slaves,  yet,  witnessing  the 
beneficial  effects  of  the  gospel  upon  their  hearts  and  lives,  they 
gradually  yielded  their  prejudices  and  encouraged  the  preach- 
ers in  their  labors,  assisted  in  providing  houses  to  accommo- 
date them  in  their  worship,  and  otherwise  protect  them  in  their 
religious  privileges.  While,  therefore,  the  voice  of  the  preach- 
ers was  not  heard  in  favor  of  emancipation  from  their  civil 
bondage,  nor  their  remonstrances  against  the  evils  of  slavery 
heeded,  the  voice  of  truth  addressed  to  the  understandings  and 
consciences  of  the  slaves  themselves  was  often  heard  with  be- 
lieving and  obedient  hearts  and  made  instrumental  in  their  de- 
liverance from  the  shackles  of  sin  and  the  bondage  of  Satan. 
Those  who  were  thus  redeemed  were  enrolled  among  the  peo- 
ple of  God,  and  were  consequently  entitled  to  the  privileges  of 
the  Church  of  Christ.  In  some  of  the  Northern  cities  houses 
of  worship  were  erected  for  their  special  and  separate  accommo- 
dation, and  they  were  put  under  the  pastoral  charge  of  a  white 


A  Brief  Historical  Sketch.  63 

preacher,  who  was  generally  assisted  by  such  colored  local 
preachers  as  may  have  been  raised  up  among  themselves;  for 
many  such,  from  time  to  time,  possessing  gifts  of  edification, 
were  licensed  to  preach  the  gospel  to  their  colored  brethren, 
and  some  of  these  have  been  eminently  useful.  In  the  more 
southern  states,  where  the  municipal  regulations  in  respect  to 
slaves  are  more  severe,  some  portion  of  the  churches  where  the 
white  population  assemble  is  usually  set  apart  for  the  blacks. 
Their  behavior  has  generally  been  such  as  to  insure  the  con- 
fidence of  their  masters  and  the  protection  of  their  civil  rulers, 
though  they  labored  under  the  disabilities  incident  to  a  state  of 
servitude." 

1799.  This  year  is  memorable  for  the  commencement  of  that 
extraordinary  aAvakening  which,  taking  its  rise  in  Kentucky  and 
spreading  in  various  directions  and  with  different  degrees  of 
intensity,  was  denominated  "the  great  Kentucky  revival."  It 
continued  for  above  four  years,  and  its  influence  was  felt  over  a 
large  portion  of  the  Southern  States.  Presbyterians,  Metho- 
dists, and  Baptists  participated  in  this  work.  In  this  revival 
originated  the  camp  meetings  which  gave  a  new  impulse  to 
Methodism.  From  the  best  estimates  the  number  of  negroes 
received  into  the  different  communions  during  this  season  must 
have  been  between  four  and  five  thousand. 

iSoo.  The  number  of  members  in  connection  with  the  Meth- 
odists was  13,452.  The  bishops  of  the  M.  E.  Church  were  au- 
thorized to  ordain  African  preachers,  in  places  where  there 
were  houses  of  worship  for  their  use,  who  might  be  chosen  by 
the  majority  of  the  male  members  of  the  Society  to  which  they 
belonged  and  could  procure  a  recommendation  from  the  preach- 
er in  charge  and  his  colleagues  on  the  circuit,  to  the  office  of 
local  deacons.  Richard  Allen,  of  Philadelphia,  was  the  frst 
colored  man  who  received  orders  under  this  rule. 

1S03.  The  second  African  Church  in  Savannah  was  formed 
out  of  the  first,  December  26,  1802,  and  Henry  Cunningham 
elected  pastor  and  ordained  to  the  work  of  the  ministry  Janua- 
ry I,  1803.  On  January  2,  1803,  another  Church  was  formed 
out  of  the  first,  called  the  Ogechee  Colored  Baptist  Church, 
and  Henry  Francis  appointed  to  supply  it.  Henry  Cunningham 
was  a  slave,  but  obtained  his  freedom.  He  is  still  the  pastor  of 
the  Second  African  Chvuxh,  far  advanced  in  life,  and  from  age 


64  The  Gospel  ainong  the  Slaves. 

unable  to  attend  to  his  sacred  duties,  except  to  a  very  limited 
extent.  He  still  enjoys,  as  he  has  always  enjoyed,  the  confi- 
dence and  esteem  of  all  classes  of  the  community  in  which  he 
has  lived  so  long,  so  virtuously,  and  so  usefully.  The  Metho- 
dist Conferences  reported  22,453  colored  members,  an  increase 
over  the  last  year  of  3,794, 

In  the  report  of  the  congregation  of  the  Moravian  Brethren 
at  Graceham,  Md.,  for  1801,  Rev.  Frederick  Schlegel,  under  date 
of  April  19,  writes:  -'As  a  number  of  negroes  had  for  several 
Sundays  successively  attended  our  divine  worship,  I  collected 
thirteen  of  them  and,  after  a  suitable  address,  prayed  with  them. 
They  were  very  devout,  and  declared  it  to  be  their  sincere  desire 
to  be  truly  converted.  A  few  Sundays  after,  Brother  Browne 
(who  preached  the  gospel  to  the  negroes  on  Staten  Island),  be- 
ing here  on  a  visit,  preached  to  thirty  negroes,  and  after  the 
sermon  baptized  two  children.  The  transaction  made  such  an 
impression  on  two  of  the  adult  negroes  that  they  requested  that 
this  rite  might  be  immediately  performed  on  them.  They  were 
however  satisfied  with  the  reasons  assigned  for  deferring  it  till 
they  had  received  further  instruction  in  Christianity.  A  very 
affecting  scene  took  place  at  the  close  of  the  meeting.  A  ne- 
gro overseer,  who  was  present,  kneeled  down  with  his  people, 
and  in  an  impressive  prayer  thanked  God  for  what  their  souls 
had  enjoyed  'that  day.  The  number  of  negroes  that  attended 
increased  almost  every  week.  At  their  request  a  regulation 
was  made  according  to  which  separate  meetings  will  be  held 
with  them  at  stated  times.  Opportunities  will  also  be  offered 
them  for  private  conversation  on  religious  subjects.  Some  chil- 
dren and  a  few  adults  were  in  the  sequel  baptized.  ("  History  of 
the  Church  of  the  Brethren,"  Vol.  II.,  pp.  292,  293.) 

1805.  An  African  Church  was  formed  in  Boston  under  the 
ministry  of  Thomas  Paul,  a  colored  man.  Their  house  of  wor- 
ship was  finished  in  1806;  the  lower  story  was  fitted  up  for  a 
schoolroom. 

1806.  The  Baptist  ChurcJies  in  South  Carolina  were  130;  the 
number  of  ministers,  100;  and  communicants,  10,500,  of  whom 
perhaps  3,500  were  negroes. 

1807.  The  Hanover  Presbytery  (Virginia)  addressed  a  circu- 
lar to  the  Churches  under  their  care  solemnly  exhorting  them 
not  to  neglect  their  duty  to  their  servants.  ("  Virginia  Maga- 
zine," Vol.,  III.,  p.  159.) 


A  Bi-ief  Historical  Sketch.  65 

1809.  The  Abyssinian  or  African  Church  was  formed  in  the 
city  of  New  York,  the  house  of  worship  in  Anthony  Street; 
also  an  African  Church  in  Philadelpliia,  supphed  for  a  time  by 
Henry  Cunningham,  of  Savannah,  Ga.  The  estimate  of  col- 
ored communicants  in  the  Baptist  Churches  of  Virginia  this 
year  I  set  down  at  9,000. 

1810.  By  the  reports  of  the  state  of  the  congregations  of  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church  in  South  Carolina,  made  in  the 
convention,  there  were  199  colored  communicants  in  3  Church- 
es— viz.,  St.  Philip's  and  St.  Michael's,  Charleston,  120  and  73, 
and  Prince  George's  Winyaw,  6.  The  other  reports  do  not  dis- 
tinguish between  white  and  colored  communicants. 

1813.  There  were  40,000  negroes  connected  with  the  Baptist 
denomination  in  the  states  of  Pennsylvania,  Delaware,  Virginia, 
North  Carolina,  South  Carolina,  and  Georgia.  The  historian 
remarks  that  "among  the  African  Baptists  in  the  Southern 
States  there  are  a  multitude  of  preachers  and  exhorters  whose 
names  do  not  appear  on  the  minutes  of  the  Associations.  They 
preach  principally  on  the  plantations  to  those  of  their  own  color, 
and  their  preaching,  though  broken  and  illiterate,  is  in  many 
cases  highly  useful." 

1816.  There  was  a  report  adopted  by  the  General  Assembly 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  the  United  States  on  the  ques- 
tion, "  Ought  baptism  on  the  promise  of  the  master  to  be  ad- 
ministered to  the  children  of  slaves.''  "  as  follows: 

"I.  That  it  is  the  duty  of  the  masters  who  are  members  of 
the  Church  to  present  the  children  of  parents  in  servitude  to 
the  ordinance  of  baptism,  pro\ided  they  are  in  a  situation  to 
train  them  up  in  the  nurture  and  admonition  of  the  Lord,  thus 
securing  to  them  the  rich  advantages  which  the  gospel  promises. 

"  2.  That  it  the  duty  of  Christian  ministers  to  inculcate  this 
doctrine  and  to  baptize  all  children  when  presented  to  them  by 
their  masters."     ("  Minutes  of  the  Assembly.") 

The  subject  of  Missions  to  the  negroes  occupied  the  atten- 
tion of  the  General  Assembly,  but  no  plan  of  Missions  was  car- 
ried into  effect.  Ur.  Rice,  of  Virginia,  was  employed  by  the 
Committee  on  Missions  in  the  Assembly  for  a  part  of  the  year, 
and  his  labors  were  encouraging,  as  already  stated  by  Dr.  Alex- 
ander in  his  letter,  and  as  appears  also  from  the  Minutes  of  the 
Assemblv,  p.  372. 
5 


66  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

The  Colonization  Society  was  formed  this  year,  and  I  notice 
it  as  furnishing  an  index  to  the  feelings  of  many  in  relation  to 
the  improvement  of  the  negro  race. 

The  Methodists  reported  this  year  42,304  colored  members, 
and  a  decrease  of  883  since  181 5.  Dr.  Bangs  says:  "This  was 
owing  to  a  defection  among  the  colored  people  in  the  city  of 
Philadelphia,  by  which  upward  of  1,000  in  that  city  withdrew 
from  our  Church  and  set  up  for  themselves,  with  Richard  Al- 
len, a  colored  local  preacher,  and  an  elder  in  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  at  their  head.  By  habits  of  industry  and 
economy,  though  born  a  slave  in  one  of  the  Southern  States, 
he  had  not  only  procured  his  freedom,  but  acquired  considera- 
ble wealth,  and  since  he  had  exercised  the  ofKce  of  a  preacher 
and  an  elder,  obtained  great  influence  over  his  brethren  in  the 
Church.  At  the  secession  they  organized  themselves  into  an 
independent  body,  under  the  title  of  the  "African  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church."  At  their  first  General  Conference  in  April, 
i8i6,  Richard  Allen  was  elected  bishop.  At  the  Conference,  in 
1828  Morris  Brown  was  elected  joint  superintendent  with  Al- 
len; and  on  the  death  of  Allen,  in  1836,  Edward  Watters  was 
elected  joint  superintendent  with  Brown.  The  colored  congre- 
gations in  New  York  City  followed  the  example.  They  adopted 
the  itinerant  mode  of  preaching  and  have  spread  themselves  in 
different  parts  of  Pennsylvania,  New  York,  New  Jersey,  Mary- 
land, and  Delaware.  There  are  also  some  in  the  Western 
States,  and  a  few  in  Upper  Canada.  In  the  more  southern 
states  the  Allenites  could  make  no  favorable  impression,  as 
their  preachers  were  not  recognized  by  the  laws  of  the  states, 
and  the  slave  population  who  were  members  of  our  Church 
had  the  character  of  our  white  ministry  pledged  as  a  guarantee 
for  their  good  behavior." 

1818.  Under  the  report  of  colored  members  for  this  year,  the 
same  writer  remarks:  "That  while  there  was  an  increase  of 
-white  members  amounting  to  9,035,  there  was  a  decrease  of 
4,261  of  the  colored  members."  He  states  that  this  was  owing 
to  the  Allenite  secession,  although  not  all  who  through  its  in- 
fluence declared  themselves  independent  attached  themselves 
to  the  Allenites. 

1819.  The  increase  of  colored  members  this  year  was  but  24. 
(1819,  39,174;  1S18,  39,150.)     The  smallness  of  the  increase  is  ac- 


A  Brief  Historical  Sketch.  67 

counted  for  by  the  secession  of  the  negroes  in  New  York  City, 
amounting  to  "  14  local  preachers  and  929  private  members,  in- 
cluding class  leaders,  exhorters,  and  stewards." 

A  report  dated  June  14,  1819,  of  a  committee  of  the  Board  of 
Managers  of  the  Bible  Society  of  Charleston,  S.  C,  respecting 
the  progress  and  present  state  of  religion  in  South  Carolina, 
will  cast  some  light  on  the  subject  before  us:  "From  the  best 
information  the  committee  have  been  able  to  obtain,  they  find 
that  the  gospel  is  now  preached  to  about  613  congregations  of 
Protestant  Christians;  that  there  are  about  292  ordained  clergy- 
men who  labor  amongst  them,  beside  a  considerable  number  of 
domestic  missionaries,  devoted  and  supported  by  each  denomi- 
nation, who  dispense  their  labors  to  such  of  the  people  as  remain 
destitute  of  an  established  ministry.  From  actual  returns,  and 
cautious  estimates  where  such  returns  have  not  been  obtained, 
it  appears  that  in  the  state  there  are  about  46,000  Protestants 
who  receive  the  holy  communion  of  the  Lord's  Supper.  In  the 
city  of  Charleston  upward  of  one-fourth  of  the  communicants 
are  slaves  or  free  persons  of  color;  and  it  is  supposed  that  in  the 
other  parts  of  the  state  the  proportion  of  such  communicants 
may  be  estimated  at  about  one-eighth.  In  every  Church  they 
are  freely  admitted  to  attend  on  divine  service.  In  most  of  the 
Churches  distinct  accommodations  are  provided  for  them,  and 
the  clergy  in  general  make  it  a  part  of  their  pastoral  care  to  de- 
vote frequent  and  stated  seasons  for  the  religious  instruction  of 
catechumens  from  amongst  the  black  population." 

It  may  be  proper  to  state  in  connection  with  this  report  that 
from  the  beginning,  with  scarcely  an  exception,  the  negroes 
applying  for  admission  into  the  Churches  have  been  under  the 
instruction  of  white  ministers  or  members;  have  been  baptized 
and  have  partaken  of  the  Lord's  Supper  at  the  same  time  with 
white  candidates  and  members,  and  been  subject  to  the  same 
care  and  discipline;  no  distinction  being  made  between  the  two 
classes  of  members  in  respect  to  the  privileges  and  discipline  of 
the  Churches. 

The  Episcopal  Church  reported  in  part  the  number  of  col- 
ored members  from  1S12  to  iSi8,  the  majority  in  Charleston. 
The  highest  number  reported  was  in  1817,  328.  In  1818  there 
were  289. 

1820.     Bishop  McKendree  presented  an  address  to  the  Gen- 


68  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

eral  Conference,  at  Baltimore,  in  wliich  he  took  notice  of  "  tlie 
condition  of  the  slaves."  The  number  of  colored  members,  oy 
the  Minutes  of  the  Conference,  was  40,558. 

The  census  of  1800  gave  us  893,041  negro  slaves  and  110,555 
free,  making  a  total  of  1,003,596;  that  of  1810  was  1,191,364  slaves 
and  195,643  free;  total  negro  population,  1,387,007;  that  of  1820, 
1,538,064  slaves  and  244,020  free;  total,  1,782,084. 

The  importation  of  Africans  into  our  country  ceased,  bj 
law,  on  January  i,  1808.  The  traflic  was  abolished  by  Virginia 
in  1778;  Pennsylvania, in  1780;  Massachusetts, in  1787;  Connec*^- 
icut  and  Rhode  Island,  in  1788.  And  before  the  year  1820 
measures  were  taken  by  all  the  present  free  states,  in  which 
slavery  had  existed,  for  bringing  the  system  to  a  close.  What 
special  efforts,  if  any,  were  made  in  these  states  by  the  Church- 
es, or  by  Societies,  for  the  religious  instruction  of  the  negroes 
thus  obtaining  their  freedom,  I  have  had  no  means  of  ascer- 
taining with  accuracy.  From  the  best  information  in  posses- 
sion special  efforts  were  very  few  and  very  limited. 

As  a  nation  we  were  scarcely  reviving  from  the  Revolution 
and  the  excitement  of  the  formation  and  establishment  of  our 
Constitution  when  we  were  involved  in  a  war  with  France, 
which,  with  its  influences,  and  what  was  worse,  the  infidelity 
and  skepticism  which  our  previous  connection  with  that  nation 
introduced  among  us,  most  seriously  affected  the  interests  of 
religion,  and  the  decline  was  perceptible  in  a  greater  or  less 
degree  over  the  whole  Union.  Not  long  after,  our  troubles 
with  England  began,  which  resulted  in  a  four  years'  war.  Not- 
withstanding these  interruptions,  the  Spirit  of  God  was  poured 
out  largely  in  different  parts  of  the  country.  Indeed,  the  first 
quarter  of  the  nineteenth  century  witnessed  a  remarkable  re- 
vival of  the  missionary  spirit  in  the  American  as  well  as  En- 
glish Churches.  Many  societies  were  organized  on  a  large  and 
liberal  scale  (in  whose  existence  the  world  has  reason  to  rejoice) 
for  the  spreading  of  the  gospel,  both  at  home  and  abroad,  as 
well  as  by  the  circulation  of  the  Scriptures  and  auxiliary  pub- 
lications, as  by  the  living  teacher. 

This  spirit  wrought  in  the  hearts  of  ministers  and  people 
generally,  and  a  new  and  mighty  impulse  was  given  to  religion. 
In  the  South  it  awakened  many  to  see  the  spiritual  necessities 
of  the  negroes.     Many  ministers  began  to  preach  particularly 


A  Brief  Historical  Sketch.  69 

and  more  faithfully  to  them  and  to  attempt  a  regular  division 
of  their  time  on  the  Sabbath,  between  the  whites  and  blacks. 
Attempts  were  also  made  in  some  parts  of  the  South  to  teach 
the  negroes  letters,  so  as  to  enable  them  to  read  the  word  of 
God  for  themselves.  These  schools  were  short-lived,  but  the 
fact  of  their  existence  evidences  that  there  was  considerable  in- 
terest felt  in  their  religious  instruction.  Houses  of  public  wor- 
ship, exclusively  for  the  use  of  the  negroes,  were  erected  in 
many  of  the  chief  towns,  and  they  worshiped  in  them  under 
the  care  of  white  or  colored  teachers.  In  numbers  of  white 
churches  space  was  allowed  for  the  accommodation  of  the  ne- 
groes, in  the  galleries  or  in  the  body  of  the  house  below;  and 
within  sight  and  hearing  of  the  country  churches,  in  some 
pleasant  grove  fitted  up  with  booths,  with  a  stand  or  pulpit  for 
preaching,  the  negroes  would  ofttimes  be  seen  assembling  for 
worship  between  services  or  in  the  afternoon.  There  were 
planters  also  who  undertook  to  read  and  explain  the  Scriptures, 
and  pray  with  their  people. 

It  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  the  religious  and  physical  con- 
dition of  the  negroes  were  both  improved  during  this  period. 
Their  increase  was  natural  and  regular,  ranging  every  ten  years 
between  34  and  36  per  cent.  As  the  old  stock  from  Africa  died 
out  of  the  country,  the  grosser  customs,  the  ignorance  and  pa- 
ganism of  Africa  died  with  them.  Their  descendants,  the  coun- 
try born,  were  better  looking,  more  intelligent,  more  civilized, 
and  more  susceptible  of  religious  impressions.  Growing  up 
under  the  eyes  and  in  the  families  of  owners,  they  became  inore 
attached  to  them,  were  identified  in  their  households  and  ac- 
companied them  to  church.  The  gospel  was  preached  to  mas- 
ters and  servants ;  servants  having  no  religion  to  renounce  grew 
up  in  the  belief  of  that  of  their  masters.  On  the  whole,  how- 
ever, but  a  minority  of  the  negroes,  and  that  a  small  one,  at- 
tended regularly  the  house  of  God,  and,  taking  them  as  a  class, 
their  religious  instruction  was  extensively  and  seriously  neg- 
lected. 


CHAPTER  VI. 
A  Brief  Historical  Sketch  (Concluded). 

DR.  JONES  brings  down  his  summary  of  facts 
to  the  year  1842.     We  quote  the  record  as 
follows  : 

1821.  The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  reported  this  year 
42,059  colored  members  in  the  United  States,  and  their  num- 
bers gradually  increase. 

1822.  The  account  of  the  labors  of  the  Moravian  Brethren 
by  Mr.  Schmidt,  already  referred  to,  brings  down  their  labors 
to  1837,  and  is  as  follows: 

"  In  January,  1822,  a  Female  Auxiliary  to  the  Missionary  So- 
ciety was  formed  at  Salem,  and  at  their  special  request  an  at- 
tempt was  made  to  collect  the  negroes  into  separate  congrega- 
tions of  their  own — a  plan  which  had,  indeed,  long  been  an  ob- 
ject of  desire.  Brother  Abraham  Steiner  was  commissioned  to 
make  a  commencement  of  the  work  by  holding  a  monthly 
preaching  on  a  plantation  about  three  miles  distant  from  Salem, 
where  the  negro  communicants  resided.  At  his  first  sermon 
there,  March  24,  1822,  more  than  fifty  black  and  colored  people 
were  present.  After  a  fervent  prayer  he  discoursed  on  the 
words  of  our  Saviour:  '  The  Son  of  man  is  come  to  seek  and  to 
save  that  which  was  lost.'  With  this  monthly  preaching,  which 
was  well  attended  by  the  negroes,  catechetical  instruction  in 
the  great  truths  of  our  religion  was  combined.  On  May  19th 
the  Lord's  Supper  was  celebrated  with  the  three  persons  who 
were  already  communicants  as  the  first  fruits  of  this  infant  ne- 
gro flock.  Great  stillness  and  devotion  continued  to  mark  the 
attendance  of  the  negroes  on  divine  worship,  yet  few  sought  for 
closer  fellowship,  so  that  this  little  flock  has  never  to  the  pres- 
ent day  numbered  more  than  twenty  members. 

"A  negro  chapel  was  built  in  1823  at  the  expense  of  the  Fe- 
male Auxiliary  and   consecrated  by  Brother   Benade,  the   resi- 

(70) 


A  Brief  Historical  Sketch.  *]i 

dent  bishop,  December  28,  in  the  presence  of  nearly  a  hun- 
dred negroes  and  colored  people  and  many  members  of  the 
congregation  at  Salem.  This  was  followed  by  the  baptism  of  a 
married  negro  woman,  and  the  solemnities  of  the  day  were 
closed  by  a  cheerful  love  feast,  at  which  the  object  of  our  cov- 
enant was  explained  and  two  negroes  were  received  into  the 
congregation.  It  was  a  day  of  blessing  for  the  negroes,  many 
of  whom  seemed  to  be  deeply  affected.  Having  now  a  place  of 
worship  of  their  own,  the  meetings  could  be  better  adapted  to 
their  circumstances.  Several  sisters  offered  themselves  to  keep 
a  Sunday  school  for  their  benefit,  and  it  was  diligently  fre- 
quented not  onlv  by  children,  but  also  by  adults.  This  hope- 
ful project  was  soon,  however,  painfully  interrupted  by  a  law 
which  passed  the  Legislature  of  North  Carolina  forbidding  any 
school  instruction  to  be  imparted  to  the  negroes — a  prohibition 
which  likewise  operated  very  injuriously  on  their  attendance  at 
the  meetings.  On  May  23,  1833,  the  negroes  were  called  to 
mourn  over  the  loss  of  their  faithful  and  much-loved  pastor, 
Brother  Abraham  Steiner.  His  place  was  supplied  by  Brother 
John  Renatus  Schmidt.  For  the  last  A'ear  or  two  they  have 
manifested  a  greater  desire  for  the  word  of  life,  and  visited 
the  house  of  God  more  diligently,  and  our  testimony  to  the 
sufferings  and  death  of  Jesus  appears  to  find  more  entrance 
into  their  hearts.  In  the  private  meetings  of  the  little  negro 
flock,  and  particularly  at  the  holy  communion,  the  peace  of 
God  is  powerfully  pei'ceptible.  The  company  of  emancipated 
negroes,  upward  of  twenty  in  number,  who  sailed  last  vear  for 
Liberia,  on  the  western  coast  of  Africa,  had  all  been  diligent 
attendants  on  our  meetings  and  former  Sunday  school,  and  one 
of  them  was  a  communicant  member  of  our  flock.  At  parting 
they  declared  with  tears  that  nothing  grieved  them  so  much  as 
the  loss  of  these  privileges.  They  promised  to  devote  them- 
selves to  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  to  remain  faithful  to  him. 

"  In  the  fourteen  years  which  have  elapsed  since  their  church 
was  dedicated,  10  adults  and  73  children  have  been  baptized  and 
8  received  into  the  congregation.  The  little  flock  consists  at 
present  (1S37)  of  17  adult  members,  10  of  whom  are  communi- 
cants. 

"  On  the  settling  of  the  Brethren  in  Wachovia,  N.  C,  it  was 
their  most  cherished  object  to  communicate  the  gospel  both  to 


72  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

the  Indians  on  the  borders  of  the  Southern  States  and  to  the 
negro  population  of  those  states,  amounting  to  several  thou- 
sands, especially  to  such  as  resided  in  the  neighborhood  of  our 
congregations,  hoping  that  they  might  be  favored  to  gather 
from  among  them  a  reward  for  the  travail  of  the  Redeemer's 
soul.  Special  meetings  were  accordingly  commenced  at  Hope 
and  Bethany  and  elsewhere  in  the  neighborhood  of  Salem,  and 
the  negroes,  who  were  numerous  in  these  districts,  were  in  gen- 
eral diligent  in  attending  them.  The  various  ministers  sta- 
tioned at  Salem,  the  late  brethren,  Fritz,  Kramsch,  Wohfahrt, 
Abraham  Steiner,  and  their  wives,  interested  themselves  Avith 
particular  affection  for  the  spiritual  welfare  of  the  negroes  in 
their  vicinity,  and  the  Lord  so  blessed  their  labors  to  the  hearts 
of  many  that  they  could  be  admitted  to  a  participation  of  the 
Lord's  Supper.  A  thankful  remembrance  of  their  faithful  serv- 
ices is  still  retained  by  the  negroes. 

"  In  the  prosecution  of  the  Mission  amongst  the  Cherokees, 
and  in  the  attempt  to  establish  one  amongst  the  Creek  Indians, 
the  negroes  dispersed  among  them  were  not  forgotten.  Our 
brethren  at  Springplace  had  the  gratification  of  baptizing  the 
firstling  of  these  negroes  July  29,  1827.  He  was  a  native  Afri- 
can of  the  Tjamba  tribe,  and  was  baptized  into  the  death  of 
Jesus  by  the  name  of  Christian  Jacob,  continuing  faithful  to  his 
Christian  profession  till  his  happy  end." 

The  Rev.  John  Mines,  pastor  of  a  Church  at  Leesburg,  Va., 
published  at  Richmond  in  1822,  "The  Evangelical  Catechism, 
or  a  plain  and  easy  system  of  the  principle  doctrines  and  duties 
of  the  Christian  religion.  Adapted  to  the  use  of  Sabbath  schools 
and  families,  with  a  new  method  of  instructing  those  who  can- 
not read." 

His  "new  method  "  was  what  is  called  "  oi-al  instruction," 
the  scholars  repeating  the  answers  after  the  teacher  until  com- 
mitted to  memory.  Mr.  Mines  was  much  interested  in  the  re- 
ligious instruction  of  the  negroes.  In  the  preface  of  his  cate- 
chism he  states  that  he  had  several  classes  of  them  (taught  by 
his  friends).  He  commends  the  use  of  it  to  masters  and  mis- 
tresses as  "a  humble  attempt"  to  furnish  them  with  appropri- 
ate means  for  the  instruction  of  their  servants  in  religious 
knowledge;  and  he  commends  it  also  to  his  "colored  friends 
in  the  United  States  "  as  a  book  written  "  especially  for  them," 


A  Brief  Historical  Sketch.  73 

and  sajs:  "With  the  help  of  God  I  will  attend  particularly  to 
your  spiritual  interest  while  I  live." 

1823.  Bishop  Uehon,  of  the  Diocese  of  South  Carolina,  had 
all  his  good  feelings  excited  in  behalf  of  the  negroes.  "  In  his 
own  congregation  he  was  the  laborious  and  patient  minister  of 
the  African,  and  he  encouraged  among  the  masters  and  mis- 
tresses in  his  flock  that  best  kindness  toward  their  servants — a 
concern  for  their  eternal  salvation."  "  He  endeavored  to  en- 
lighten the  community  on  this  subject."  "  He  would  gladly 
embrace  opportunities  to  converse  with  men  of  influence  relat- 
ing to  it,"  etc.     ("  Life,"  by  Dr.  Gadsden.) 

The  Rev.  Dr.  Dalcho,  of  the  Episcopal  Church,  Charleston, 
this  year  issued  a  va'uable  pamphlet  entitled:  "Practical  Con- 
siderations, Founded  on  the  Scriptures,  Relative  to  the  Slave 
Population  of  South  Carolina."  Its  design  is  given  in  the  first 
paragraph,  namely:  "To  show  from  the  scriptures  of  the  Old 
and  New  Testament,  that  slavery  is  not  forbidden  by  the  divine 
law;  and  at  the  same  time  to  prove  the  necessity  of  giving  re- 
ligious instruction  to  our  negroes."  Dr.  Dalcho  mentions  that 
in  1822  there  were  316  colored  communicants  in  the  Episcopal 
Churches  in  Charleston  and  2CX)  children  in  their  colored  Sun- 
day schools. 

A  few  months  before  this  pamphlet  appeared,  Dr.  Richard 
Furman,  President  of  the  Baptist  State  Convention  of  South 
Carolina,  in  the  name  of  that  convention  addressed  a  letter  to 
his  Excellency,  Governor  Wilson,  giving  an  "  Exposition  of  the 
views  of  the  Baptists  relative  to  the  colored  population  of  the 
United  States,"  in  which,  among  other  observations,  we  find 
the  following:  "Their  religious  interests  claim  a  regard  from 
their  masters  of  the  most  serious  nature,  and  it  is  indispensa- 
ble." 

The  lamented  Dr:  John  Holt  Rice,  already  mentioned  in  this 
sketch,  presented  the  subject  of  the  religious  instruction  of  the 
negroes  in  a  strong  light  to  the  consideration  of  his  fellow-citi- 
zens of  Virginia  in  the  Evangelical  Magazine^  Vol.  VIII.,  pp.  613, 
614.  He  printed  a  sermon  on  the  duty  of  masters  to  educate 
and  baptize  the  children  of  their  servants.  Through  his  influ- 
ence many  in  Virginia  were  induced  to  give  the  duty  of  the  re- 
ligious instruction  of  the  negroes  serious  consideration,  which 
resulted  in  action.     One  of  his  objects  in  devoting  himself  to 


74  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

the  establishment  of  the  Prince  Edward  Theological  Seminary 
was  that  a  ministry  might  be  educated  at  home  and  fitted  for 
the  field  composed  as  it  is  of  masters  and  servants,  bond  and 
free.  This  was  also  one  prominent  object  in  the  minds  of  many 
ministers,  elders,  and  laymen  in  the  foundation  and  endowment 
of  the  Theological  Seminary  of  the  Synod  of  South  Carolina 
and  Georgia  in  Columbia,  S.  C. 

1828.  The  number  of  colored  members  in  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  was  48,096,  and  for  1825,  49,537;  1826,  51,334; 
1827,  53,565;  1828,  58,856;  showing  a  steady  increase.  In  1828 
"a  plain  and  easy  catechism,  designed  chiefly  for  the  benefit  of 
the  colored  persons,  with  suitable  prayers  and  hymns  annexed," 
was  published  by  Rev.  B.  M.  Palmer,  D.D.,  pastor  of  the  Cir- 
cular Church,  Charleston,  S.  C."  Six  or  eight  years  before  this 
he  had  published  a  smaller  work  of  the  same  kind  and  bearing 
nearly  the  same  title.  During  all  his  ministry  in  Charleston, 
he  was  a  firm  supporter  of  the  religious  instruction  of  the  ne- 
groes, both  in  word  and  deed. 

1829.  The  Hon.  Charles  Cotesworth  Pinckney,  of  the  Epis- 
copal Church,  delivered  an  address  before  the  Agricultural  So- 
ciety of  South  Carolina,  in  which  he  ably  and  largely  insisted 
upon  the  religious  instruction  of  the  negroes.  This  address 
went  throvigh  two  or  more  editions  and  was  extensively  circu- 
lated and  with  the  happiest  effects. 

1830.  The  historian  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  re- 
marks: "This  year  several  Missions  were  commenced  for  the 
special  benefit  of  the  slave  population  in  the  States  of  South  Car- 
olina and  Georgia.  This  class  of  people  had  been  favored  with 
the  labors  of  the  Methodist  ministry  from  the  beginning  of  its 
labors  in  this  country,  and  there  were  at  this  time  68,814  of  the 
colored  popvdation  in  the  several  states  and  territories  in  our 
Church  fellowship,  most  of  whom  were  slaves.  It  was  found 
however  on  a  closer  inspection  into  their  condition  that  there 
were  many  that  could  not  be  reached  by  the  ordinary  means, 
and  therefore  preachers  were  selected  who  might  devote  them- 
selves exclusively  to  their  service." 

He  alludes  particularly  to  the  "Missionary  Society  of  the 
South  Carolina  Conference,  Auxiliary  to  the  Missionary  Socie- 
tv  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,"  which,  at  least  so  far  as 
its  efforts  respect  the  negro  population,  the  Rev.  Williams  Ca- 


A  Brief  Historical  Sketch.  75 

pers,  D.D.,  superintendent  of  these  Missions  to  the  negroes 
from  their  commencement,  has  spared  no  exertions  to  extend 
and  render  successful.  The  reports  of  the  Board  of  Managers, 
drawn  up  from  year  to  year  bj  himself,  exhibit  the  puiitj  and 
fervor  of  his  zeal  in  so  good  a  cause,  as  well  as  the  remarkable 
progress  which  it  has  made. 

In  the  winter  of  1830  and  the  spring  of  1831,  two  Associa- 
tions of  planters  were  formed  in  Georgia  for  the  special  object 
of  affording  religious  instruction  to  the  negroes  by  their  own 
efforts  and  by  missionaries  employed  for  the  purpose.  The  first 
was  formed  by  the  Rev.  Joseph  Clay  Stiles  in  Mcintosh  Coun- 
ty, embracing  the  neighborhood  of  Harris's  Neck,  which  con- 
tinued in  operation  for  some  time,  until  by  the  withdrawment 
of  Mr.  Stiles's  labors  from  the  neighborhood  and  the  loss  of 
some  of  the  inhabitants  by  death  and  removals,  it  ceased.  The 
second  was  formed  in  Liberty  County  by  the  Midway  Congre- 
gational Church  and  the  Baptist  Church  under  their  respective 
pastors,  the  Rev.  Robert  Quarterman  and  the  Rev.  Samuel 
Spry  Law,  which  Association,  with  one  suspension  from  the 
absence  of  a  missionary,  has  continued  its  operations  to  the 
present  time. 

One  or  more  associations  for  the  same  purpose  were  formed 
in  St.  Luke's  Parish,  S.  C,  in  which  John  David  Mungin,  Esq., 
took  an  active  part. 

1831.  An  address  entitled  "The  Religious  Instruction  of  the 
Negroes,"  delivered  before  the  Associations  of  Mcintosh  and 
Liberty  Counties,  was  published  and  circulated  in  newspaper 
and  pamphlet  form. 

1S32.  Edward  R.  Laurens,  Esq.,  delivered  an  address  before 
the  Agricultural  Association  of  South  Carolina,  in  which  this 
duty  in  the-form  of  oral  instruction,  under  proper  arrangements 
is  recognized.  [Southern  Agriculturist,  1S32.)  "A  short  cate- 
chism for  the  use  of  the  colored  members  on  trial  of  the  M.  E. 
Church  in  South  Carolina:  by  W.  Capers,  D.D.,  Charleston, 
1832." 

This  short  catechism  was  prepared  by  Dr.  Capers  for  the 
use  of  the  Methodist  Missions  to  the  negroes  of  the  South  Car- 
olina Conferences,  and  it  is  used  by  all  the  missionaries. 

1833.  The  Missionary  Society  of  the  South  Carolina  Con- 
ference, which  had  now  fairly  entered  upon  its  work,  reported 


76  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

that  the  Missions  were  generally  in  flourishing  circumstances; 
that  there  were  1,395  colored  members,  and  490  children  under 
catechetical  instruction  at  the  Mission  stations.  The  Society 
also  recommended  the  establishment  of  four  or  five  new  sta- 
tions and  the  appointment  of  three  or  four  new  missionaries 
for  stations  already  occupied.     (Report,  pp.  12-15.) 

The  "  First  Annual  Report  of  the  Liberty  County  Associa- 
tion was  published  and  circulated  in  two  editions. 

Two  essays  were  read  before  the  Presbytery  of  Georgia,  in 
April,  1833:  one  on  "  The  Moral  and  Religious  Condition  of  Our 
Colored  Population,"  and  the  other  "A  Detail  of  a  Plan  for  the 
Moral  Improvement  of  Negroes  on  Plantations,"  by  Thomas 
Savage  Clay,  Esq.,  of  Bryan  County.  They  were  both  pub- 
lished by  order  of  the  Presbytery.  The  "  Detail,"  etc.,  by  Mr. 
Clay,  which  was  indeed  the  result  of  his  own  experience  and 
observation  on  his  own  plantation  for  many  years,  was  exten- 
sively circulated  and  received  with  approbation,  and  has  done, 
and  is  still  doing,  much  good. 

In  December  of  this  year  the  "  Report  of  the  Committee  to 
whom  was  referred  the  subject  of  the  religious  instruction  of 
the  negroes,"  of  the  Synod  of  South  Carolina  and  Georgia  was 
published.    To  this  report  a  series  of  resolutions  were  subjoined: 

"  I.  That  to  impart  the  gospel  to  the  negroes  of  our  country 
is  a  duty  which  God  in  his  providence  and  in  his  word  imposes 
on  us. 

"  2.  That  in  the  discharge  of  this  duty  we  separate  entirely 
the  civil  and  religious  condition  of  the  people;  and  while  we 
devote  ourselves  to  the  improvement  of  the  latter,  we  disclaim 
all  interference  with  the  former. 

"  3.  That  the  plan  which  we  shall  pursue  for  their  religious 
instruction  shall  be  that  permitted  by  the  laws  of  the  state,  con- 
stituting the  bond  of  this  Synod. 

"4.  That  we  deem  religious  instruction  to  master  and  serv- 
ant every  way  conducive  to  our  interests  for  this  world  and  for 
that  which  is  to  come. 

"5.  That  every  member  of  this  Synod,  while  he  endeavors 
to  awaken  others ,  shall  set  the  example  and  begin  the  religious 
instruction  of  the  servants  of  his  own  household,  systematically 
and  perseveringly,  as  God  shall  enable  him. 

"6.  That  we  cannot  longer  continue   to  neglect  this  duty 


A  Brief  Historical  Sketch.  77 

without  incurring  the  charge  of  inconsistency  in  our  Christian 
cliaracter;  of  unfaithfulness  in  the  discharge  of  our  ministerial 
duty;  and  at  the  same  time  meeting  the  disapprobation  of  God 
and  our  consciences." 

The  narrative  of  religion  of  the  Synod  at  the  same  session 
holds  the  following  language:  "The  Synod  continues  to  feel 
the  same  responsibilities  and  desires  on  this  subject  which  they 
have  repeatedly  expressed.  They  rejoice  to  find  that  increas- 
ing attention  is  paid  to  it  on  the  part  of  many  who  are  largely 
interested  as  owners  in  this  class  of  our  population."  (Min- 
utes, pp.  24-34.) 

Tlie  project  of  forming  a  Domestic  Missionary  Society,  un 
der  the  cafe  of  the  Synod,  witli  special  reference  to  the  reli- 
gious instruction  of  the  negroes,  Avas  somewhat  discussed,  chief- 
ly in  private,  and  a  committee  was  appointed  by  tlie  Synod  to 
bring  in  a  report  at  the  next  meeting. 

The  reports  from  the  Episcopal  Churches  in  South  Carolina 
to  the  convention  evidenced  much  attention  to  the  negroes.  The 
Rev.  Joseph  R.  Walker,  of  Beaufort,  reported  57  communicants 
and  234  members  of  the  Sunday  school,  which  was  conducted 
by  the  first  and  best  society  in  the  place. 

Bishop  Ives,  of  North  Carolina,  addressed  the  convention 
"on  the  interesting  subject  of  providing  for  our  slave  popula- 
tion a  more  adequate  knowledge  of  the  doctrines  of  Christ  cru- 
cified." He  stated  in  a  letter  to  Bishop  Meade  that  active  ef- 
forts, in  behalf  of  this  people,  were  made  in  five  or  six  of  the 
Churches,  and  singled  out  the  Church  of  St.  John's,  Fayette- 
ville,  embracing  between  three  and  four  hundred  worshipers,  of 
whom  forty  were  communicants. 

There  Avere  several  religious  newspapers,  conducted  by  dif- 
ferent denominations,  that  advocated  openly  and  efficiently 
about  this  time  the  religious  instruction  of  the  negroes:  the 
Gospel  Messenger^  Episcopal,  Charleston;  the  Charleston  Observ- 
er^ Presbyterian;  the  Christian  Index,  Baptist;  the  Southern 
Christian  Advocate,  Methodist;  the  Western  Luminary,  Ken- 
tucky ;  and  there  may  be  added  the  Ne-w  Orleatis  Observer  and 
the  Southern  Churchman,  Alexandria,  besides  others.  Through 
these  papers,  having  an  extensive  circulation,  the  subject  was 
presented  to  the  minds  of  thousands  of  our  citizens. 

There  was  published  this  year  (1S33)  "A  Plain  and  Easy  Cat- 


78  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

echism,  designed  for  the  benefit  of  colored  children,  with  sev- 
eral verses  and  hymns,  with  an  appendix;  compiled  by  a  mis- 
sionary: Savannah."  This  missionary  was  a  Methodist,  the 
Rev.  Samuel  J.  Bryan,  who  labored  among  the  negroes  on  the 
Savannah  River. 

"  The  encouraging  success  which  had  attended  the  labors  of 
our  preachers  among  the  slaves  and  free  black  population  of 
the  South  stimulated  our  brethren  in  the  Southwest  to  imitate 
their  example  by  opening  Missions  for  the  special  benefit  of 
this  class  of  people.  Hence  at  the  last  session  of  the  Tennessee 
Conference  the  African  Mission,  embracing  the  colored  popu- 
lation of  Nashville  and  its  vicinity,  was  commenced.  A  regular 
four  weeks'  circuit  was  formed,  and  the  good  work  was  prose- 
cuted with  such  success  that  in  1S34  there  were  reported  819 
Church  members."     (Bangs  4,  p.  143.) 

1834.  A  meeting  was  held  in  Petersburg,  Va.,  in  March, 
1834,  composed  of  representatives  from  the  Synods  of  North 
Carolina  and  Virginia.  After  disposing  of  the  special  business 
for  which  the  meeting  was  called,  the  subject  of  the  religious 
instruction  of  the  negroes  was  discussed,  and  as  a  result  a  com- 
mittee was  appointed,  consisting  of  three  ministers  and  elders 
in  each  of  the  states,  "  to  bring  before  the  Presbyteries  the  sub- 
ject of  ministers  giving  more  religious  instruction  to  the  col- 
ored people,  and  to  collect  and  publish  information  on  the  best 
modes  of  giving  oral  instruction  to  this  class  of  our  population  " 
That  committee,  of  which  Rev.  William  S.  Plumer,  D.D.,  now  of 
Richmond,  was  the  Chairman,  performed  its  duty  and  presented 
a  report  to  the  Synods  of  North  Carolina  and  Virginia  at  their  fall 
sessions  in  1834.  The  same  report,  with  some  accompanying 
documents,  was  forwai-ded  to  the  Synod  of  South  Carolina  and 
Georgia,  and  read  before  that  body  in  December,  1834. 

The  committee  of  the  Synods  of  North  Carolina  and  Vir- 
ginia reported  a  plan  "for  forming  a  society  by  the  concurrence 
of  two  or  more  Synods  for  the  purpose  of  affording  religious  in- 
struction to  the  negroes  in  a  manner  consistent  with  the  laws 
of  the  States  and  with  the  feelings  and  wishes  of  planters."  The 
plan  was  laid  before  Synod  of  North  Carolina  and  acceded  to. 
It  was  laid  over  by  the  Synods  of  Virginia,  South  Carolina,  and 
Georgia  to  their  session  in  1835,  'i"d  then,  for  special  reasons, 
indefinitely  postponed.     A  report  was  presented  by  a  committee 


A  Brief  Historical  Sketch.  79 

of  the  Synod  of  South  Carolina  and  Georgia,  on  this  plan.  The 
report  was  adverse  to  it,  on  account  of  the  extent  of  the  pro- 
posed organization,  the  excitement  of  the  times,  and  the  belief 
that  each  Sjnod  could  of  itself  conduct  the  work  more  success- 
fully than  when  united  with  the  other  two.  The  Constitution 
•of  the  proposed  society,  the  reasons  in  favor  of  it,  and  Dr.  Plum- 
er's  report,  were  all  laid  before  the  public  in  the  columns  of 
the  Charleston  Observer.  The  report  has  been  several  times  re- 
ferred to  in  this  sketch. 

The  Synod  of  South  Carolina  and  Georgia  in  December, 
1834,  passed  the  following  resolutions: 

'•  I.  That  it  be  enjoined  upon  all  the  Churches  in  the  Presby- 
teries comprising  this  Synod  to  take  order  at  their  earliest  meet- 
ing to  obtain  full  and  correct  statistical  information  of  the  num- 
ber of  colored  persons  in  actual  attendance  at  our  several  places 
of  worship,  and  the  number  of  colored  members  in  our  several 
Churches,  and  make  a  full  report  to  the  Synod  at  its  next  meet- 
ing; and  for  this  purpose  that  the  stated  clerk  of  this  Synod  fur- 
nish a  copy  of  this  resolution  to  the  stated  clerk  of  each  presbytery. 
"  2.  That  it  be  enjoined  on  all  Presbyteries  in  presenting 
their  annual  report  to  the  Synod  to  report  the  state  of  religion 
in  the  colored  part  of  the  congregations,  and  also  to  present  a 
statistical  report  of  the  increase  of  colored  members,  and  that 
this  be  the  standing  rule  of  the  Synod  on  this  subject."  The 
narrative  states  that  "  increasing  efforts  had  been  made  to  im- 
part religious  instruction  to  the  negroes."  (Minutes,  pp.  22-29.) 
The  Synod  of  Mississippi  and  Alabama,  in  their  narrative 
November  i,  1831,  says:  "Another  very  encouraging  circum- 
stance in  the  situation  of  our  Church  is  the  deep  interest  which 
is  felt  in  behalf  of  our  colored  population,  and  the  efforts  which 
are  made  to  impart  to  them  religious  instruction.  All  our  min- 
isters feel  a  deep  interest  in  the  instruction  of  this  part  of  our 
population,  and  when  prudently  conducted  we  meet  with  no 
opposition.  A  few  of  us,  owing  to  peculiar  circumstances,  have 
no  opportunity  of  preaching  to  them  separately  and  at  stated 
times;  but  embrace  every  favorable  opportunity  that  occurs. 
Others  devote  a  portion  of  every  Sabbath,  others  a  half  of  ev- 
ery Sabbath,  and  two  of  our  number  preach  exclusively  to 
them.  During  the  past  year  the  condition  and  wants  of  the 
colored  population  have  occupied  more  of  our  attention  than  at 


8o  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

any  previous  period,  and  in  future  we  hope  to  be  more  untiring 
in  all  our  efforts  to  promote  tlieir  fiappiness  in  tliis  life  and  in 
tliat  whicfi  is  to  come."  In  tfieir  resolutions  this  Synod  en- 
joined all  under  tlieir  care  directly  to  make  "united  efforts  to 
provide  means  for  the  employment  of  missionaries  to  give  oral 
instruction  to  the  colored  population  on  the  plantations  with 
the  permission  of  those  persons  to  whom  they  belong." 

In  this  same  year  (1834)  "the  Kentucky  Union,  for  the 
moral  and  religious  improvement  of  the  colored  race"  was 
formed,  and  a  "  circular  "  addressed  to  the  ministers  of  the  gos- 
pel in  Kentucky,  by  the  Executive  Committee  of  that  Union, 
to  which  the  Constitution  was  appended.  It  was  "  a  union  of  the 
several  denominations  of  Christians  in  the  state."  The  Rev. 
H.  H.  Kavanaugh  was  President;  there  were  ten  Vice  Presi- 
dents, selected  from  different  quarters  of  the  State,  and  an  Ex- 
ecutive Committee  of  seven  members,  located  in  Danville,  of 
which  Rev.  John  C.  Young  was  Chairman.  President  Young 
told  me  at  the  General  Assembly  of  1S39  that  this  Union  had 
not  accomplished  much. 

The  "second  annual  report"  of  the  Liberty  County  Associa- 
tion was  published,  giving  some  good  account  of  their  opera- 
tions. "An  Essay  on  the  Management  of  Slaves,  and  especial- 
ly on  their  religious  instruction,"  read  before  the  Agricultural 
Society  of  St.  John's,  Colleton,  S.  C,  by  Whitemarsh  B.  Sea- 
brook,  President,  was  published  by  the  Society.  Mr.  Seabrook 
reviews  some  former  publications  on  the  religious  instruction 
of  the  negroes,  and  suggests  his  own  plans  and  views  on  the 
subject.  The  Right  Rev.  William  Meade,  Assistant  Bishop  of 
Virginia,  published  an  admirable  "  pastoral  letter  to  the  minis- 
ters, members,  and  friends  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church 
in  the  diocese  of  Virginia,  on  the  duty  of  affording  religious  in- 
struction to  those  in  bondage."  The  bishop,  in  his  zeal  and  per- 
sonal efforts  on  this  subject,  demonstrates  the  sincerity  of  his 
published  opinions. 

The  Missionary  Society  of  the  South  Carolina  Conference 
reported  five  missionaries  to  the  blacks;  one  in  North  Carolina, 
the  rest  in  South  Carolina,  and  2,145  members  and  1,503  chil- 
dren under  catechetical  instruction. 

"The  Colored  Man's  Help;  or  the  Planter's  Catechism:  Rich- 
mond, Va."  was  now  published. 


A  Brief  Historical  Sketch.  8i 

Also,  in  the  Charlcstim  Observer,  "  Biographies  of  Servants 
Mentioned  in  tlie  Scriptures;  witli  Questions  and  Answers," 

These  admirable  sketches  were  prepared  bj  Mrs.  Horace  S. 
Pratt,  then  of  St.  Mary's,  Ga.,  and  now  of  Tuscaloosa,  Ala.  The 
Rev.  Horace  S.  Pratt,  previously  to  his  appointment  to  a  pro- 
fessorship in  the  Alabama  College  at  Tuscaloosa,  and  while  pas- 
tor of  the  St.  Mary's  Presbyterian  Church,  gave  much  of  his 
attention  to  the  religious  instruction  of  the  negroes  and  pre- 
pared at  his  own  expense  a  comfortable  and  commodious  house 
of  worship  for  them,  and  which  they  occupy  at  the  present 
time. 

Also,  "A  Catechism  for  Colored  Persons:  by  C.  C.  Jones," 
printed  in  Charleston. 

1S35.  "  The  Third  Annual  Report  of  the  Liberty  County 
Association  "  was  printed  and  more  extensively  circulated  than 
the  two  preceding. 

In  the  narrative  of  the  state  of  religion  in  the  .Synod  of 
Sovith  Carolina  and  Georgia,  it  is  said:  "  Even  the  religious  in- 
struction of  our  slave  population,  entirely  suspended  in  some 
parts  of  the  country,  through  the  lamentable  interference  of 
abolition  fanatics,  has  proceeded  with  almost  unabated  diligence 
and  steadiness  of  purpose  through  the  length  and  breadth  of  our 
Synod."     (Minutes,  1835,  p.  62.) 

Bishop  Bowen,  of  the  diocese  of  South  Carolina,  prepared  at 
the  request  of  the  Convention  and  printed  "A  Pastoral  Letter 
on  the  Religion  of  the  Slaves  of  the  Members  of  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church  in  the  State  of  South  Carolina,"  to  which  he 
appended  "Scripture  Lessons,"  for  the  same. 

The  subject  had  been  presented  to  the  Convention  by  an  able 
report  from  a  committee,  and  a  portion  of  the  report  was  em- 
bodied in  Bishop  Bowen's  letter. 

The  Missionary  Society  of  the  South  Carolina  Conference 
reported  this  year  2,603  members  and  1,330  children  under  cat- 
echetical instruction, 

1836.  The  Rev.  George  W.  Freeman,  late  rector  of  Christ's 
Church,  Raleigh,  N.  C,  published  two  discourses  on  "  The 
Rights  and  Duties  of  Slaveholders."  Mr.  Freeman  with  pathos 
and  energy  urges  upon  masters  and  mistresses  the  duty  of  re- 
ligious instrviction. 

The  report  of  the  Liberty  County  Association  was  prepared, 

6 


82  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

but  not  published  this  jear.     The  operations  of  the  Association 
during  the  year  had  been  successful. 

The  bishops  of  the  M.  E.  Church  in  the  United  States,  in 
their  letter  of  reply  to  the  letter  from  the  Wesleyan  Methodist 
Conference,  England,  held  the  following  language:  "It  may 
be  pertinent  to  remark  that  of  the  colored  population  in  the 
Southern  and  Southwestern  States  there  are  not  less  than 
70,000  in  our  Church  membership;  and  in  addition  to  those 
who  are  mingled  with  our  white  congregations,  we  have  sev- 
eral prosperous  Missions,  exclusively  for  their  spiritual  benefit, 
which  have  been  and  are  still  owned  of  God  to  the  conversion 
of  many  precious  souls.  On  the  plantations  of  the  South  and 
Southwest  our  devoted  missionaries  are  laboring  for  the  salva- 
tion of  the  slaves,  catechising  their  children  and  bringing  all 
within  their  influence,  as  far  as  possible,  to  the  saving  knowl- 
edge of  Jesus  Christ.  And  we  need  hardly  add  that  we  shall 
most  gladly  avail  ourselves,  as  we  have  ever  done,  of  all  the 
means  in  our  power  to  promote  their  best  interests."  The  total 
number  of  colored  members  reported  for  1836  was  82,661. 

1837-38.  The  subject  of  the  religious  instruction  of  the  ne- 
groes was  called  up  and  attended  to  in  the  Synod  of  South  Car- 
olina and  Georgia  both  these  years,  and  many  Sunday  schools 
for  children  and  adults  reported  from  the  different  Presbyteries. 
It  also  received  attention  in  all  the  Southern  Synods.  There 
appeared  to  be  a  growing  conviction  of  the  duty  itself,  and  on 
the  whole  an  increase  of  efforts. 

The  instruction  of  the  negroes  in  Liberty  County  by  the  As- 
sociation was  carried  forward  as  usual  during  the  summers  of 
these  years,  but  in  consequence  of  the  absence  of  the  mission- 
ary in  the  winters  no  reports  were  published. 

The  Missionary  Society  of  the  South  Carolina  Conference 
prosecuted  its  work  with  encouraging  success.  In  an  annual 
meeting  in  the  town  of  Columbia,  S.  C,  they  collected  for  their 
Missions  to  the  negroes  between  $1,200  and  $1,500. 

Bishop  Meade  collected  and  published  "  Sermons  Dialogued, 
and  Narratives  for  Servants,  to  be  read  to  them  in  families: 
Richmond,  1836." 

The  second  edition  of  the  "Catechism  for  Colored  Persons; 
by  C.  C.Jones:  Savannah.  T.  Purse,  1837."  Also,  "A  Cate- 
chism to  be  used  by  the  teachers  in  the  religious  instruction  of 


A  Brief  Historical  Sketch.  83 

persons  of  color,  etc.,  prepared  in  conformity  to  a  resolution  of 
the  Convention,  under  the  direction  of  the  bishop:  Charleston." 
The  reverend  gentlemen  of  the  diocese  of  South  Carolina,  who 
united  in  preparing  this  catechism,  were  Dr.  Gadsden  (now 
bishop),  Mr.  T.  Trapier,  and  Mr.  William  H.  Barnwell. 

The  following  resolution  was  passed  in  the  Episcopal  Con- 
vention of  South  Carolina  in  183S:  '■'■Resolved,  That  it  be  re- 
spectfully recommended  to  the  members  of  our  Church,  who 
are  proprietors  of  slaves  individually  and  collectively,  to  take 
measures  for  the  support  of  clerical  missionaries  and  lay  cate- 
chists,  who  are  members  of  our  Church,  for  the  religious  in- 
struction of  their  slaves." 

And  again:  '■'■Resolved-,  That  it  be  urged  upon  the  rectors  and 
vestries  of  the  country  parishes  to  exert  themselves  to  obtain 
the  services  of  such  missionaries  and  lay  catechists." 

1S39-40.  P'rom  the  reports  of  the  Liberty  County  Associa- 
tion for  these  years,  it  appears  that  a  revival  of  religion  com- 
menced toward  the  close  of  the  summer  of  1838  among  the  ne- 
groes, and  extended  very  nearly  over  the  whole  country,  and 
continued  for  two  years.  The  whole  number  received  into  the 
Congregational  and  Baptist  Churches,  on  profession  of  their 
faith,  was  fully  two  hundred  and  fifty.  The  number  of  adults 
and  children  under  catechetical  instruction  in  the  Sabbath 
schools  connected  with  the  Association  and  the  different 
Churches  ranged  from  five  to  seven  hvmdred.  The  Mission- 
ary Society  of  the  South  Carolina  Conference  reported  in  1839 
13  Missions,  210  plantations,  19  missionaries,  5,482  Church 
members,  and  3,769  children  catechised;  in  1840,  13  Missions, 
232  plantations,  19  missionaries,  5,482  Church  members,  and 
3,811  children.     (Minutes.) 

The  Methodists  returned  in  1840  94,532  colored  persons  in 
their  Conference. 

The  Rev.  T.  Archibald  (Presbyterian)  labored  as  a  mission- 
ary to  the  negroes  in  Mississippi  for  several  years,  and  in  1839, 
after  leaving  his  charge  in  consequence  of  the  abolition  excite- 
ment, he  received  a  call  to  preach  to  the  negroes  in  Marengo 
Count}',  Ala. 

The  Rev.  James  Smylie  and  Rev.  William  C.  Blair  (of  the 
same  denomination)  were  and  still  are  (if  our  late  information 
be  correct)  "engaged  in  this  good  work  systematically  and  con- 


84  The  Gos-pel  among  the  Slaves. 

stantly  "  in  Mississippi.  The  Rev.  James  Smjlie  is  character- 
ized as  "an  aged  and  indefatigable  father;  his  success  in  en- 
lightening the  negroes  has  been  very  great.  A  large  propor- 
tion of  the  negroes  in  his  old  Church  can  recite  both  Willison's 
and  the  Westminster  Catechism  very  accurately." 

The  names  of  many  other  pastors  in  the  South  might  be 
given,  who  have  conscientiously  and  for  a  series  of  years  de- 
voted much  time  to  the  religious  instruction  of  the  negroes  con- 
nected with  their  Churches. 

The  Rev.  James  Smylie  and  Rev.  John  L.  Montgomery  were 
appointed  by  the  Synod  of  Mississippi  in  1839  to  write  or  com- 
pile a  catechism  for  the  instruction  of  the  negroes.  The  man- 
uscript was  presented  to  the  Synod  in  October,  1840,  and  put 
into  the  hands  of  a  committee  of  revision,  but  it  has  not  yet 
been  published. 

The  table  on  the  state  of  the  Chvirches  of  the  Sunbury  Bap- 
tist Association,  Georgia,  gives  six  African  Churches  with  a 
total  of  3,987  members,  as  returned.  One  of  these  Churches 
did  not  return  the  number  of  communicants.  Of  the  other 
Churches  in  the  table,  five  have  an  overwhelming  majority  of 
colored  members.  The  three  African  Churches  in  Savannah 
are  all  connected  with  this  Association.  In  the  Appendix  to 
the  Minutes  it  is  said:  "The  committee  to  whom  was  referred 
Brother  Sweat's  letter  on  the  subject  of  a  Mission  among  the 
African  Church  reports  that  it  is  highly  important  that  such  a 
Mission  should  be  established,  and  recommend  that  the  subject 
be  turned  over  to  the  Executive  Committee  with  the  instruction 
that  the  brethren  engaged  in  that  work  during  the  past  year  be 
compensated  for  their  services.  Your  committee  further  rec- 
ommend that  Brother  Connor  be  employed  as  a  missionary  by 
the  Association,  provided  he  will  devote  half  his  time  to  the 
colored  people." 

And  again :  "  That  the  table  showing  the  state  of  the  Churches 
may  be  more  correct  than  the  present,  it  is  requested  that  at 
the  next  meeting  of  the  Association  the  Church  clerks  will  dis- 
tinguish in  their  reports  between  the  white  and  colored  mem- 
bers, and  that  such  Churches  as  send  no  delegates  will  forward 
a  statement  of  their  condition." 

"Missions  to  the  people  of  color"  is  noticed  in  the  annual 
report  of  the  Missionary  Society  of  the  M.  E.  Church  in  1840. 


A  Brief  Historical  Sketch.  85 

The  report  thus  speaks:  "And  surely  those  who  devote  them- 
selves to  the  self-sacrificing  work  of  preaching  the  gospel  to 
these  people  on  the  rice  and  sugar  plantations  of  the  South  and 
Southwest  are  no  less  deserving  the  patronage  of  the  Mission- 
ary Society  than  those  who  labor  for  the  same  benevolent  ob- 
ject in  other  portions  of  the  great  work.  Of  these  there  are 
chiefly  in  the  Southern  Conferences  12,402  members  under  the 
patronage  of  this  Society."     (Report,  p.  23.) 

1841.  The  report  of  the  same  Society  for  this  year  refers 
also  to  "  Missions  to  the  colored  population."  In  no  portion  of 
our  work  are  our  missionaries  called  to  endure  greater  priva- 
tions or  make  greater  sacrifices  of  health  and  life  than  in  these 
Missions  among  the  slaves,  many  of  which  are  located  in  sec- 
tions of  the  southern  country'  which  is  proverbially  sickly,  and 
under  the  fatal  influence  of  a  climate  which  few  white  men  are 
capable  of  enduring  even  for  a  single  year.  And  yet,  notwith- 
standing so  many  valuable  missionaries  have  fallen  martyrs  to 
their  toils  in  these  Missions,  year  after  year  there  are  found 
others  to  take  their  places,  who  fall  likewise  in  their  work, 
"  ceasing  at  once  to  work  and  live."  Nor  have  our  Superin- 
tendents any  difficulty  in  finding  missionaries  ready  to  fill  up 
the  ranks  which  death  has  thinned  in  these  sections  of  the 
work;  for  the  love  of  Christ  and  the  love  of  the  souls  of  these 
poor  Africans  in  bonds  constrain  our  brethren  in  the  itinerant 
work  of  the  Southern  Conferences  to  exclaim :  "  Here  we  are, 
send  us."  The  Lord  be  praised  for  the  zeal  and  success  of  our 
brethren  in  this  self-denying  and  self-sacrificing  work. 

The  Missionary  Society  of  the  South  Carolina  Conference 
reported  this  year  of  Missions  exclusively  to  the  negroes,  14; 
plantations  served,  301;  members,  6,145;  children  under  cate- 
chetical instruction,  3,407;  and  missionaries,  18.  The  report 
gives  an  animated  and  cheering  view  of  the  prospects  of  these 
Missions.  The  great  object  of  the  Society  in  them  is  thus  ex- 
pressed: "  So  to  preach  this  gospel  that  it  may  be  believed,  and 
being  believed  may  prove  'the  power  of  God  unto  salvation  '  is 
the  great  object,  and  we  repeat  it,  the  sole  object  of  our  minis- 
trations among  the  blacks.  This  object  attained,  we  find  the 
terminus  of  our  anxieties  and  toils,  of  our  preaching  and 
prayers."     (Report,  pp.  12-17.) 

The  total  of  colored  communicants  in  the  Methodist  connec- 


86  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

tion  is  given  in  the  Minutes  of  the  Annual  Conferences  for  the 
years  1840  and  1841.  For  1840,  94,532,  and  for  1S41,  102,158. 
The  South  Carolina  Conference  is  ahead  of  all,  having  30,481 ; 
next  comes  the  Baltimore  Conference,  13,904;  then  the  Geor- 
gia Conference,  9,989;  Philadelphia,  8,778;  Kentucky,  6,321,  and 
so  on.     (Minutes,  p.  156.) 

The  Sunbury  Association  reported  this  year  seven  African 
Churches,  with  4,430  members  (from  one  no  returns);  adding 
to  this  number  the  returns  from  the  mixed  Churches  of  white 
and  black,  and  an  estimate  of  some  from  which  no  returns  were 
made,  a  total  of  5,664  colored  members  is  obtained.  Appendix 
B:  ^^Itesolved,  That  the  committee  be  autiiorized  to  offer  a  sum 
not  exceeding  $50  per  month  for  one  or  more  ordained  minis- 
ters to  labor  among  the  colored  people  and  destitute  Churches 
within  the  bounds  of  this  Association." 

Bishop  Meade,  of  Virginia,  made  a  report  to  the  Convention 
of  his  diocese  "  on  the  best  means  of  promoting  the  religious 
instruction  of  servants,"  the  result  of  his  extended  observation 
and  long  experience  in  this  department  of  labor. 

Bishop  Gadsden,  of  South  Carolina,  devotes  a  considerable 
portion  of  his  address  to  the  Convention  to  the  subject  of  the 
religious  instruction  of  the  negroes.  He  thus  speaks:  "  Of  that 
class  peculiar  to  our  social  system,  the  colored  people,  many 
are  members  of  our  Church,  as  are  the  masters  of  a  very  large 
number  of  them  who  as  yet  are  not  converted  to  the  gospel. 
To  make  these  fellow-creatures,  who  share  with  us  the  precious 
redemption  which  is  by  Jesus  Christ,  good  Christians  is  a  pur- 
pose of  which  this  Church  is  not  and  never  has  been  regardless. 
The  interest  and  efforts  in  this  cause  have  increased.  But  the 
feeling  ought  to  be  much  deeper,  and  the  efforts  more  extended. 
Consider  the  large  number  w-ho  are  yet  almost,  if  not  entirely, 
without  the  restraint,  the  incentives,  the  consolations,  and  the 
hopes  of  the  gospel,  under  the  bondage  of  Satan,  and  on  the 
precipice  of  the  second  death.  I  speak  more  particularly  of 
those  the  smoke  of  whose  cabins  is  in  sight  of  our  ministers  who 
live  on  the  same  plantations  with  members  of  our  Church.  Can 
nothing  be  done,  ought  not  everything  be  done  that  can  be,  to 
bring  such  persons  to  the  knowledge  and  obedience  of  Christ.''" 

There  are  thirty-one  parochial  reports.  In  twenty-two  of 
the  thirty-one  Churches  there  are  colored  members,  amounting 


A  Brief  Historical  Sketch.  87 

to  S69.  In  fifteen  there  are  Sabbath  schools  for  colored  chil- 
dren, amounting  to  1,459  scholars.  Eight  of  the  clergy  preach 
on  the  plantations  as  well  as  to  their  colored  congregations,  and 
there  are  two  Missions  to  the  negroes,  embracing  1,400  in  the 
congregations.     Children  catechised  on  the  plantations. 

The  practice  of  the  Episcopal  Church  in  this  diocese  cannot 
be  too  highly  commended  to  those  who  are  of  similar  faith  in 
the  matter  referred  to,  which  is  the  baptism  of  the  infants  and 
children  of  negroes  who  are  members  of  the  Church.  When 
God  established  his  visible  Church  on  earth,  he  constituted  the 
infant  seed  of  believers  members  of  it,  and  therefore  command- 
ed that  the  sign  and  seal  of  his  gracious  covenant  should  be  ap- 
plied to  them.  His  Church  has  ever  remained  the  same,  the 
members  the  same,  and  under  the  same  Constitution.  Our 
practice  ought  to  confirm  to  our  faith,  and  to  the  plain  teach- 
ings of  the  word  of  God.  A  recurrence  to  this  subject  will  be 
necessary  when  the  means  and  plans  for  the  religious  instruc- 
tion of  the  negroes  come  under  consideration  in  the  fourth  part 
of  this  work,  and  I  therefore  dismiss  it  in  this  place.  There 
were  159  colored  children  baptized  in  the  Churches  of  the  dio- 
cese by  the  parochial  reports.  (Journal  of  the  Fifty-second 
Convention,  pp.  10-13  and  pp.  33-48.) 

From  the  seventh  annual  report  of  the  Liberty  County  As- 
sociation for  the  religious  instruction  of  the  negroes,  it  appears 
that  the  efforts  of  the  Association  during  the  year  had  been  suc- 
cessful. There  were  450  children  and  youth  under  catechetical 
instruction,  and  adding  four  schools  not  immediately  under  the 
care  of  the  Association,  but  conducted  by  members  of  it,  there 
were  265  more.  Seven  Sabbath  schools  in  all  were  returned,  and 
three  stations  for  preaching.  Congregations  during  the  year 
full  and  attentive;  general  order  of  the  people  commendable. 

Appended  to  this  report  is  the  address  to  the  Association  by 
the  President,  the  Rev.  Josiah  Spry  Law ;  an  address  which  re- 
ceived the  cordial  and  unanimous  approbation  of  the  Associa- 
tion as  one  which  placed  the  religious  instruction  of  the  negroes 
in  a  clear  light,  as  the  great  duty  of  their  owners,  as  well  as  of 
the  Churches.  It  was  believed  by  the  Association  that  the  ad- 
dress was  calculated  to  exert  a  favorable  influence  wherever  it 
should  be  circulated  in  our  country,  and  it  was  therefore,  with 
the  consent  of  the  author,  ordered  to  be  printed. 


CHAPTER  VII. 
The  Period  of  Decline;    The  Cause. 

LIVING  in  the  midst  of  these  missionary  move- 
ments, and  heartily  in  sympathy  with  them, 
Dr.  Jones  becomes  an  important  witness  in  regard 
to  the  period  of  decline  which  followed  the  aboli- 
tion propaganda  of  New  England.  He  gives  a 
statement  of  the  tendency  among  the  negroes  to 
throw  off  all  dependence  upon  the  whites,  taking 
the  control  of  their  own  Church  affairs  in  the  so- 
called  "  Free  States."  Concurrently  with  this  se- 
cession in  the  North,  the  agitation  of  the  slavery 
question  in  New  England  alarmed  the  slaveholders 
of  the  South.  The  consequence  was  inevitable. 
The  religious  interests  of  the  slaves  suffered  seri- 
ous damage  by  the  incendiary  utterances  of  the 
Garrisons  and  other  leaders  of  the  abolition  move- 
ment. Our  author  states  the  case  in  conservative 
language : 

Of  late  years  the  negroes  in  the  free  states  have  manifested 
a  strong  inclination  to  be  independent  of  the  influence  and  con- 
trol of  the  whites,  and  to  create  and  manage  their  ecclesiastical 
establishments  in  their  own  way;  a  very  natural  inclination,  and 
not  to  be  wondered  at  nor  objected  against,  provided  they  are 
capable  of  taking  care  of  themselves,  which,  however,  many  of 
their  warmest  friends  not  only  seriously  doubt,  but  wholly  deny. 
As  a  specimen  of  this  disposition  I  would  refer  to  the  secession 
of  Richard  Allen  and  his  associates  in  Philadelphia,  from  the 
Methodist  Church,  which  secession  extended  into  New  York 
(88) 


The  Period  of  Decline:   The  Cause.  89 

and  other  states.  Of  this  secession  in  New  York,  Dr  Bangs 
thus  writes:  "It  is  now  (1S39)  twenty  years  since  this  secession 
took  place,  and  the  degree  of  tlieir  prosperity  may  be  estimated 
from  the  following  statement  of  their  number  of  circuits  and 
stations,  preachers  and  members  taken  from  their  Minutes  for 
1839:  Circuits,  21;  preachers,  32;  members,  2,608.  These  cir- 
ciiils  and  stations  are  found  in  the  states  of  New  York,  New 
Jersey,  Connecticut,  Rliode  Island,  and  Massachusetts.  In  the 
city  of  New  York,  where  the  secession  originated,  they  have  a 
membership  of  1,325,  making  an  increase  of  396  in  twenty  years, 
which  is  by  no  means  in  a  ratio  with  their  increase  while  they 
remained  under  the  care  of  their  white  brethren.  In  the  city 
of  Boston,  however,  their  success  had  been  greater  in  propor- 
tion. In  1819  they  had  only  33,  but  now,  in  1839,  they  have  126. 
As  tlie  M.  E.  Church  never  derived  any  temporal  emolument 
from  them,  so  we  have  sustained  no  other  damage  by  the  se- 
cession than  what  may  arise  from  missing  the  opportunity  of 
doing  them  all  the  good  in  our  power  as  their  pastors,"  etc. 

In  the  slave  states  there  has  been  action  in  ecclesiastical 
bodies  on  the  religious  instruction  of  the  negroes,  and  the  value 
of  such  action  is  that  it  discovers  a  good  disposition  on  the  part 
of  ministers  and  Churches  to  fulfill  their  duty  to  this  people. 

The  Episcopal  Church  has  rather  taken  the  lead  in  making 
efforts  and  in  keeping  up  an  interest  in  its  own  bosom.  Bishop 
Meade,  of  Virginia,  a  long  and  unwearied  advocate  of  this  cause. 
Bishop  Ives,  of  North  Carolina,  Bishop  Bowen,  of  South  Carolina 
(before  his  decease),  and  the  present  bishop  of  that  state.  Dr. 
Gadsden,  have  each  addressed  their  dioceses  on  this  subject,  and 
commended  it  to  the  clergy  and  laity.  The  subject  has  been 
discussed  in  their  Conventions,  accompanied  with  some  able  re- 
ports. Many  of  the  clergy  devote  time  to  the  instruction  of 
the  negroes  attached  to  their  congregations,  and  have  regular 
and  flourishing  Sabbath  schools.  It  is  a  stated  fact  that  in  the 
Episcopal  Churches  generally  in  South  Carolina  there  are  Sab- 
bath schools  for  the  negroes,  and  some  of  them  large  and  flour- 
ishing. 

There  are  several  Episcopal  missionaries  to  this  people  in 
the  state.  The  Churches  in  Charleston  have  always  been  act- 
ive in  the  instruction  of  the  negroes,  and  the  present  bishop, 
Dr.  Gadsden,  has  been  long  known  as  an  advocate  of  the  work. 


90  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

The  latelj'  elected  Bishop  of  Georgia,  Rev.  Stephen  Elliott,  D.D., 
has  brought  the  subject  before  his  Convention  in  his  "primary 
address  "  (1841),  and  urged  attention  to  it  with  an  energy  and  a 
zeal  which  promises  great  blessings  to  the  negroes  connected 
with  the  Churches  of  his  new  and  interesting  diocese.  The  ne- 
groes connected  with  the  Episcopal  Church  have  generally 
been  noted  for  intelligence  and  fidelity. 

The  Methodists  do  not  yield  in  interest  and  efforts  to  any 
denomination.  From  the  commencement  of  their  Church  in 
the  United  States  they  have  paid  attention  to  the  negroes,  of 
which  we  have  had  ample  proof  in  the  progress  of  this  sketch. 
In  the  slave  states  they  have,  next  to  the  Baptists,  the  largest 
number  of  communicants.  The  negroes  were  brought  under 
the  same  Church  regulations  as  the  whites,  having  class  leaders 
and  class  meetings  and  exhorters,  as  the  Church  Discipline  re- 
quires. The  number  of  negro  communicants  is  reported  at 
their  Conferences  as  well  as  labors  in  their  behalf,  and  where 
it  is  necessary  traveling  preachers  are  directed  to  pay  attention 
to  them.  In  the  South  Carolina  Conference  the  Missionary 
Society,  already  referred  to,  has  a  field  of  operations  among  the 
negroes  along  the  seaboard,  from  North  Carolina  to  the  south- 
ern counties  of  Georgia.  The  missionaries  of  this  society  labor 
chiefly  on  river  bottoms,  and  in  districts  where  the  negro  popu- 
lation is  large  and  the  white  population  small,  and  it  is  under- 
stood receive  most  of  their  support  from  the  planters  them- 
selves, whose  plantations  they  serve.  We  know  of  no  other 
Missionary  Society  in  this  denomination  so  fully  devoted  to 
this  particular  field,  but  there  are  Methodist  missionaries  for 
the  negroes  in  Tennessee,  Mississippi,  Alabama,  and  other  slave- 
holding  states.  Without  a  doubt,  as  the  Lord  has  opened  wide 
the  door  of  usefulness  to  this  denomination  among  the  negroes, 
it  will  not  fail  to  exert  itself  to  the  utmost.  Bishop  J.  O.  An- 
drew, whose  circuit  is  in  the  Southern  States,  has  taken  up  the 
subject  in  good  earnest  and  is  prosecuting  it  with  energy  and 
success. 

The  Baptists  have  no  societies  in  existence  expressly  for 
evangelizing  the  negroes,  although  their  Associations  and  Con- 
ventions do,  from  time  to  time,  call  up  the  subject  and  act  upon 
it.  There  are  more  negro  communicants  and  more  Churches 
regularly  constituted,   exclusively  of   negroes,  witli   their  own 


The  Period  of  Decline:   1  he  Cause.         91 

reo-ular  houses  of  public  worship,  and  with  ordained  negro 
preachers,  attached  to  this  denomination  than  to  any  other 
denomination  in  the  United  States. 

It  is  difficult  to  collect  the  direct  efforts  of  this  denomination 
for  the  instruction  of  negroes,  as  the  reports  of  the  Associations 
are  not  easily  obtained,  they  being  printed  and  circulated  chiefly 
within  thek  respective  bounds.  If  investigation  were  carefully 
made,  it  might  be  found  that  in  many  of  the  Associations  of 
this  denomination  as  much  attention  is  paid  to  the  instruction 
of  the  negroes  as  in  the  Sunbury  Association,  Georgia,  already 
referred  to.  There  are  missionaries  in  destitute  settlements 
who  devote  a  portion  of  their  time  to  this  people.  Perhaps  in 
most  of  the  chief  towns  in  the  South  there  are  houses  of  public 
worship  erected  for  the  negroes  alone.  There  are  three,  for 
example,  in  the  city  of  Savannah.  A  year  or  two  since  I 
preached  to  the  Baptist  negroes  in  Petersburg,  Va.,  in  their  own 
house  of  worship,  crowded  to  suffocation. 

The  Presbyterians  have  had  ecclesiastical  action  within  the 
present  period  in  the  Synods  of  Virginia  and  North  Carolina, 
South  Carolina  and  Georgia,  Kentucky,  Mississippi,  and  Ala- 
bama, and  in  the  Presbyteries  of  all  these  Synods.  Some  Pres- 
byteries have  distinguished  themselves  by  their  zeal  and  activ- 
ity in  the  instruction  of  the  negroes. 

It  is  unnecessary  to  transcribe  the  resolutions,  reports,  and 
acts  of  these  several  bodies.  Some  have  already  met  the  eye  of 
the  reader.  The  latest  and  most  general  and  satisfactory  re- 
turns in  our  possession  were  gathered  from  the  statements  of 
members  of  the  General  Assembly'  of  1S39,  from  the  slavehold- 
ing  states,  at  a  meeting  called  by  themselves  for  the  purpose  of 
taking  into  consideration  the  religious  instruction  of  the  ne- 
groes, and  of  communicating  information  and  suggesting  plans 
of  operation.  It  will  suffice  to  present  the  sum  of  the  whole  in 
a  few  words. 

In  the  Synods  of  Kentucky,  Virginia,  North  Carolina,  Ten- 
nessee, and  West  Tennessee  it  is  the  practice  of  a  number  of 
ministers  to  preach  to  the  negroes  separately  once  on  the  Sab- 
bath or  during  the  week.  There  are  also  Sabbath  schools  in 
some  of  the  Churches  for  children  and  adults,  and  in  all  the 
houses  of  worship,  w^ith  a  few  exceptions,  a  greater  or  less 
number  of  colored  members  and   negroes  form   a  portion   of 


92  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

eveiy  Sabbath  congregation.  In  portions  of  these  Synods  the 
abolition  excitement  checked  and  in  others  materially  retarded 
the  work  of  instruction. 

In  the  Synods  of  Alabama  and  Mississippi  almost  all  the 
ministers  devote  a  portion  of  the  Sabbath  to  the  negroes.  There 
are  two  or  three  missionaries  within  the  bounds  of  these  Syn- 
ods, and  some  flourishing  Sabbath  schools.  Access,  in  many 
parts  of  the  two  states,  may  be  had  to  the  negroes,  of  unlimited 
extent.     The  abolition  excitement  injured  the  cause. 

In  the  Synod  of  South  Carolina  and  Georgia  many  minis- 
ters preach  to  the  negroes  separately  on  the  Sabbath  or  during 
the  week,  and  maintain  Sabbath  schools.  Especially  is  this  the 
fact  along  the  seaboard  of  the  two  states.  The  Presbytery  of 
Georgia  has  one  missionary  to  the  negroes,  and  in  the  country 
where  he  labors  there  are  seven  Sabbath  schools  connected 
with  the  Congregational  and  Baptist  Churches,  and  upward  of 
600  children  and  youth  in  a  course  of  catechetical  instruction. 
There  are  three  stations  for  missionary  preaching  on  the  Sab- 
bath, occupied  in  rotation,  and  in  addition,  during  the  winter 
and  spring,  preaching  on  the  plantations.  There  are  colored 
members  in  all  the  Churches  in  this  Synod,  and  accommoda- 
tions for  the  negroes  in  the  houses  of  public  worship.  The  ses- 
sions conduct  the  discipline  of  the  colored  members  in  the  same 
manner  that  they  do  the  whites.  They  are  received  into  the 
Churches  under  the  same  form  and  partake  of  the  ordinances 
at  the  same  time. 

The  ministers  in  the  newly  formed  Presbytery  of  Florida 
are  devoting  attention  to  this  field  of  labor,  diopersing  informa- 
tion and  preaching  as  opportunity  offers. 

Such  are  the  principal  facts  touching  the  religious  instruction 
of  the  negroes  during  the  third  period  from  1S20  to  1S42.  And 
in  view  of  them,  as  we  close  the  period,  Ave  feel  warranted  in 
considering  it  a  period  of  the  revival  of  religion  in  respect  to 
this  particular  duty,  throughout  the  Southern  States,  more  es- 
pecially between  the  years  1829  and  1835. 

This  revival  came  silently,  extensively,  and  powerfully,  af- 
fecting masters,  mistresses,  ministers,  members  of  the  Church, 
and  ecclesiastical  bodies  of  all  the  different  evangelical  denom- 
inations. Some  local  associations  of  planters  were  formed,  and 
societies  on  a  large  scale  contemplated,  and  one  brought  to  per- 


TJic  Period  of  Decline:   The  Cause.         93 

feet  organization.  Sermons  were  preached  and  pamphlets  pub- 
Hshed,  the  dailj  press  lent  its  aid,  and  manuals  of  instruction 
were  prepared  and  printed.  Nor  was  there  any  opposition  of 
moment  to  the  work,  conducted  by  responsible  individuals, 
identitied  in  feeling  and  interest  with  the  countrv.  Some  por- 
tions of  the  South  were  in  advance  of  others,  both  in  respect  to 
the  acknowledgement  and  performance  of  the  great  duty,  but 
the  light  was  gradually  diffusing  itself  everywhere. 

Such  was  the  onward  course  of  things  when  the  excitement 
in  the  free  states  on  the  civil  condition  of  the  negro  manifested 
itself  in  petitions  to  Congress,  in  the  circulation  of  inflamma- 
tory publications,  and  other  measures  equally  and  as  justly  ob- 
noxious to  the  South,  all  of  which  had  a  disastrous  influence 
on  the  success  of  the  work  we  were  attempting  to  do.  The  ef- 
fect of  the  excitement  was  to  turn  off  the  attention  of  the  South 
from  the  religious  to  the  civil  condition  of  the  people  in  ques- 
tion, and  from  the  salvation  of  the  soul  to  the  defense  and  pres- 
ervation of  political  rights.  The  very  foundations  of  Society 
were  assailed,  and  men  went  forth  to  the  defense.  A  tender- 
ness was  begotten  in  the  public  mind  on  the  whole  subject,  and 
every  movement  touching  the  improvement  of  the  negroes 
was  watched  with  jealousy.  Timid,  ambitious,  and  factious 
men,  and  men  hostile  to  religion  itself,  and  men  desirous  of 
warding  off  suspicion  from  themselves,  agitated  the  public 
mind  within  our  own  borders.  The  result  was  to  arrest  in 
many  places  efforts  happily  begun  and  successfully  prosecuted 
for  the  religious  instruction  of  the  negroes.  It  was  considered 
best  to  disband  schools  and  discontinue  meetings,  at  least  for  a 
season.  The  formation  of  societies  and  the  action  of  ecclesias- 
tical bodies  in  some  degree  ceased. 

The  feelings  of  men  being  excited,  those  who  had  under- 
taken the  religious  instruction  of  the  negroes  Avere  looked  upon 
with  svispicion,  and  some  of  them  were  obliged  to  quit  the 
field.  It  was  not  considered  that  a  separation  might  be  made 
between  the  religious  and  the  civil  condition  and  interests  of  a 
people,  and  that  a  minister  could  confine  himself  to  the  one 
without  interfering  at  all  with  the  other.  This  entire  effect 
upon  the  slave  states  of  the  movement  in  the  free  states,  con- 
sidering all  circumstances,  was  natural,  but  it  was  wrong; 
wrong  because,  let  others  act  as  they  might,  we  should  have 


94  The  Gospel  mnong  the  Slaves. 

gone  forward  and  done  what  was  obviously  our  duty.  We 
could  have  done  it;  for  the  whole  arrangement  of  the  religious 
instruction  of  the  negroes,  as  to  teachers,  times,  places,  matter, 
and  manner,  was  in  our  own  power.  And  wrong  again  be- 
cause, admitting  that  the  wishes  of  these  professed  friends  of 
the  negroes  were  to  be  consummated,  no  better  could  be  done 
for  the  negroes,  nor  for  ourselves,  than  to  teach  them  their 
duty  to  God  and  man.  The  gospel  certainly  hurts  no  man  and 
no  body  of  men.  Parts  of  the  southern  country  took  such  ac- 
tions as  was  deemed  necessary  (if  at  all),  calmly  and  decidedly, 
nor  were  any  difficulties  thrown  in  the  way  of  the  regular 
course  of  religious  instruction.  A  missionary  in  the  heart  of 
three  or  four  thousand  negroes,  during  the  period  of  excite- 
ment, visited  plantations  during  the  week,  and  met  congrega- 
tions on  the  Sabbath,  varying  from  150  to  500  persons;  yet  it 
cannot  be  denied  that  the  Northern  movements  did  sensibly  af- 
fect the  feeling  in  favor  of  the  religious  instruction  of  the  ne- 
groes throughout  the  whole  slaveholding  states,  and  the  first 
prominent  cause  of  the  decline  in  the  revival  of  which  M^e 
speak  was  unquestionably  those  movements,  and  I  mention 
the  fact  because  the  cause  of  that  decline  is  sometimes  inquired 
into. 

From  information  obtained  by  correspondence  and  in  other 
ways,  there  are  favorable  indications  that  a  reaction  has  taken 
place  within  one  or  two  years  past,  and  that,  taking  the  coun- 
try throughout,  more  religious  instruction  is  communicated  to 
the  negroes  now  than  ever  before.  The  old  friends  of  the 
cause  for  the  most  part  retain  their  integrity  and  labor  on, 
while  the  Lord  is  impressing  deeply  the  hearts  and  consciences 
of  owners,  and  is  raising  up  many  youth  in  the  ministry  and  in 
the  Churches  to  carry  forward  the  work  more  extensively. 

The  third  period  is  now  completed,  and  with  it  this  historical 
sketch  of  the  religious  instruction  of  the  negroes,  since  their 
first  introduction  into  this  country  to  the  present  time.  I  shall 
add  in  the  conclusion  the  following  general  observations: 

1.  The  negro  race  has  existed  in  our  country  for  two  hun- 
dred and  twenty-two  years,  in  which  time  the  gospel  has  been 
brought  within  the  reach  of  and  been  communicated  to  multi- 
tudes, and  tens  of  thousands  of  them  have  been  converted,  and 
have  died  in  the  hope  of  a  blessed  immortality.     And  there  are 


The  Period  of  Decline:   The  Cause.         95 

at  the  present  time  tens  of  thousands  connected  by  a  creditable 
profession  to  the  Church  of  Christ,  and  the  gospel  is  reaching 
them  to  a  greater  extent  and  in  greater  purity  and  power  than 
ever  before. 

2.  While  there  have  been  but  few  societies  (and  those  limited 
in  extent  and  intiuence)  formed  for  the  special  object  of  pro- 
moting the  moral  and  religious  instruction  of  the  negroes,  and 
while  there  have  been  comparatively  but  few  missionaries  ex- 
clusively devoted  to  them,  yet  they  have  not  been  altogether 
overlooked  by  their  owners  nor  neglected  by  the  regular  min- 
isters of  the  various  leading  denominations  of  Christians,  as  the 
facts  adduced  in  this  sketch  testify. 

3.  Yet  it  is  a  remarkable  fact  in  the  history  of  the  negroes 
in  our  country  that  their  regular,  systematic  religious  instruc- 
tion has  never  received  in  the  Churches  at  any  time  that  gen- 
eral attention  and  effort  which  it  demanded,  and  the  people 
have  consequently  been  left,  both  in  the  free  and  in  the  slave 
states,  in  great  numbers,  in  moral  darkness  and  destitution  of 
the  means  of  grace. 

4.  The  great  and  good  work,  therefore,  of  the  thorough  re- 
ligious instruction  of  our  negroes  remains  to  be  performed. 

The  colored  population  of  the  United  States  in  1830  was 
2,009,043  slaves  and  319,599  free,  making  a  total  of  2,328,642, 
By  the  last  census,  1840,  it  was  2,487,113  slaves  and  386,235  free, 
with  a  total  of  2,873,348.  This  aggregate  of  2,873,348  is  cer- 
tainly large  enough  to  awaken  our  most  serious  attention, 
whether  we  view  this  people  in  a  religious  or  civil  point  of 
light. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 
The  Negro  without  the  Gospel. 

WE  have  given  the  foregoing  sketch  of  mis- 
sionary operations  among  the  negroes  be- 
cause it  was  prepared  by  one  eminently  fitted  for 
the  task,  and  the  materials  gathered  by  him  em- 
braced all  accessible  means  of  information.  The 
fact  that  Dr.  Jones  was  not  a  Methodist  gives  ad- 
ditional force  to  his  highly  complimentary  notices 
of  the  labors  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
in  this  important  field  of  evangelization.  But  after 
we  have  given  due  credit  to  the  efforts  of  the  early 
missionaries  of  the  "  Society  for  the  Propagation 
of  the  Gospel  in  Foreign  Parts,"  and  the  occa- 
sional visits  of  evangelists  of  the  Presbyterian  and 
Baptist  Churches,  it  must  be  confessed  that  the 
greatest  harvest  of  souls  has  been  reaped  by  the 
followers  of  Coke  and  Asbury.  Methodism  was 
an  organism  filled  with  deep  and  earnest  piety. 
The  fervor  of  the  worship  accorded  with  the  im- 
pulsive and  emotional  nature  of  the  negro,  and 
thousands  of  the  race  heartily  embraced  the  truth 
under  the  preaching  that  touched  their  hearts  and 
filled  their  imaginations  with  the  liveliest  pictures 
of  religious  joy.  But  these  negroes  were,  for  the 
most  part,  "house  negroes."  They  were  slaves 
being  in  immediate  contact  with  white  persons. 
(96) 


^r--/- 


(96) 


REV.  HENRY    M.   TURNER, 
Bishop  of  the  African  M.  E.  Church. 

(S30  pag-;  nrn.) 


The  Negro  zuitJiout  the  Gospel.  97 

From  their  masters  and  mistresses  they  insensibly- 
imbibed  many  refining  and  elevating  tendencies, 
and  when  these  masters  were  professed  Christians 
their  influence  helped  to  form  a  superior  class  of 
negro  slaves.  Many  of  the  household  servants 
were  present  at  the  family  altar,  and  the  daily 
prayers  were  addressed  to  the  court  of  heaven  in 
their  behalf  in  common  with  the  white  members  of 
the  family.  Lectures  on  the  Sabbath  day  were 
given  for  the  benefit  of  the  negroes  when  there 
was  no  regular  service  by  a  Christian  minister. 
These  advantages  created  a  favored  class  among 
the  negroes,  and  the  eye  of  a  Southerner  can  al- 
most instantly  detect,  by  the  grace  of  manner  and 
the  easy  bearing  of  the  person,  the  members  of 
this  "  household  of  saints  "  belonging  to  the  "  old- 
en time." 

But  the  great  majority  of  slaves  were  not  thus 
favored.  Living  to  themselves  on  large  rice  and 
cotton  plantations,  they  had  no  social  and,  in  the 
earlier  times  of  this  century,  no  religious  facilities 
for  development  or  progress.  Having  no  standard 
of  morals  higher  than  their  own,  and  coming  in 
contact  with  no  correcting  authority,  not  even  the 
reproof  of  well-wishing  equals,  we  cannot  be  sur- 
prised at  the  low  moral  status  of  the  "plantation 
negro."  The  proofs  of  this  depravity  are  very 
numerous;  and  as  the  state  of  the  negro  previous 
to  missionary  efforts  will  be  contrasted  in  these 
pages  by  the  results  of  pioneer  work  among  them 
at  a  subsequent  period,  we  present  the  picture  of 
7 


98  The  Gosfel  among  the  Slaves. 

the  African  slave  without  the  gospel  as  that  pic- 
ture has  been  drawn  by  those  who  knew  him  in  all 
the  lights  and  shadows  of  his  being. 

Edwin  C.  Holland,  Esq.,  published  in  Charles- 
ton, S.  C,  his  "  Refutations  of  Calumnies  against 
the  Southern  and  Western  States  in  1822."  Re- 
ferring to  the  practice  of  allozvancmg  the  negroes 
in  the  lower  parts  of  the  Atlantic  States,  Mr.  Hol- 
land says: 

If  it  be  asked  why  those  in  the  lower  country  are  alloxvanccd 
while  those  of  the  interior  are  not,  the  answer  is  that  such  are 
the  facilities  of  transportation  to  market  and  the  disposition  to 
thievery  so  innate  to  the  blacks,  that  a  planter's  barn  would  in 
a  very  short  time  become  bankrupt  of  its  wealth,  and  the  whole 
of  his  substance  vanish  like  unsubstantial  moonshine. 

Every  one  acquainted  with  the  surroundings  of 
the  rice  planters  in  South  Carolina  and  Georgia 
will  readily  vouch  for  the  correctness  of  this  state- 
ment. In  almost  every  section  of  the  thickly  pop- 
ulated regions  there  will  be  found  agents  of  Satan, 
who  tempt  the  slaves  in  tiine  of  slavery,  and  the 
hired  freedman  in  the  time  of  freedom.  These 
execrable  wretches  are  generally  foreigners,  and 
by  keeping  a  small  stock  of  groceries  on  hand  in 
little  shops  disguise  the  sale  of  ardent  spirits  to  ne- 
groes. These  tempters  have  no  moral  restraints 
of  any  kind.  They  induce  the  negroes  to  buy  ar- 
dent spirits,  and  in  order  to  pay  for  the  indulgence 
the  slave,  having  no  money,  carries  to  the  gin  mill 
his  master's  rice  or  whatever  would  be  received  as 
a  subtitute  for  money.  These  leeches,  by  making 
enormous  profits  both  ways,  on  the  execrable  liq- 


The  Negro  without  the  Gosfel.  99 

uors  they  sold  and  the  merchandise  taken  in  ex- 
change, soon  laid  the  foundations  of  large  for- 
tunes, acquired,  in  the  beginning  at  least,  by  a 
trade  but  one  degree  below,  if  not  indeed  as  infa- 
mous as  the  kidnapping  of  men  and  women  on  the 
shores  of  Africa. 

Reputable  merchants  were  always  careful  in 
their  dealings  with  the  negroes  on  these  large 
plantations,  but  there  were  so  man^^  willing  tools, 
known  in  the  city  courts  as  "  fences,"  people  who 
assisted  the  thief  in  the  disposal  of  stolen  property, 
that  the  master  was  often  compelled  to  appear 
harsh  and  cruel,  when  a  contrary  course  would 
have  ended  in  his  own  financial  ruin.  There  are 
traditions  in  all  of  our  Atlantic  seaboard  territory 
of  places,  islands,  swamps,  dense  coverts  far  away 
from  civilization,  where  this  unholy  traffic  has 
maintained  large  populations  unknown  to  the  tak- 
ers of  the  census.  Magnified  these  stories  may  be, 
but  there  is  some  foundation  for  them,  and  those 
who  so  fiercely  denounced  the  rice  planters  of  fifty 
years  ago  would  do  well  to  remember  that  all  the 
facts  have  never  appeared  in  their  defense  against 
the  charge  of  inhuman  treatment  of  their  negroes. 

But  the  African,  as  a  savage,  transported  to 
America,  must  bring  the  sins  and  vicious  nature 
which  belong  to  his  people  and  his  tribe.  The 
foolish  dream  of  a  virtuous  savage,  communing 
with  nature,  and  rising  to  the  highest  altitudes 
of  virtuous  humanit}^  has  long  been  dispelled,  as 
nearer  acquaintance  revealed  to  the  world  the  tiiith. 


lOO  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

The  fearful  picture  of  the  heathen  who  knows  not 
God,  as  given  by  St.  Paul  in  the  first  chapter  of 
the  Epistle  to  the  Romans,  is  as  true  to-day  as  in 
the  day  in  which  it  was  written.  We  cannot  be 
surprised  then  that  these  negroes,  many  of  them 
born  in  Africa,  should  deserve  the  severe  sentence 
of  Dr.  Delcho,  of  the  Episcopal  Church,  in  a  pub- 
lication issued  in  1823.  "  Ignorant  and  indolent 
by  nature,"  he  says,  "improvident  and  depraved 
by  habit,  and  destitute  of  the  moral  principle,  as 
they  generally  appear  to  be,  ages  and  generations 
must  pass  away  before  they  could  be  made  virtu- 
ous, honest,  and  useful  members  of  society." 
This  language  is  too  severe.  "Destitute  of  the 
moral  principle,"  they  are  not,  as  a  race,  for  we 
shall  have  occasion  to  produce  some  of  the  finest 
specimens  of  moral  integrity  that  the  annals  of  hu- 
man character  can  show.  Nevertheless,  it  is  not 
surprising  that  observing  men,  such  as  Dr.  Delcho, 
should  use  such  unqualified  language.  They  "gen- 
erally appear"  to  lack  the  foundation  upon  which 
Christianity  must  build  if  the  gospel  is  to  mold  the 
life  and  habits  of  the  negro. 

The  same  deficiency,  the  absence  of  the  moral 
sense,  is  attributed  to  the  Chinese,  as  a  nation,  by 
Bayard  Taylor.  If  we  mistake  not,  he  makes  the 
charge  without  any  qualifying  sentence.  But  Mr. 
Taylor  did  not  weigh  his  words.  If  the  Chinaman 
and  the  negro  have  no  moral  sense,  it  is  useless  to 
preach  the  gospel  to  them.  They  have  no  souls 
according   to    this   dark  view   of  their  condition. 


The  Negro  zviihoiU  the  Gospel.  loi 

But  Chinamen  have  been  converted  and  have  tes- 
tified in  life  and  in  death,  witnessing  a  good  con- 
fession under  circumstances  not  greatly  dissimilar 
to  the  trials  of  the  apostles  of  the  first  century.  So, 
also,  we  are  prepared  to  exhibit  many  instances  of 
commanding  eloquence,  testimonies  of  faithfulness 
not  inferior  to  Paul's  integrity  and  Peter's  firmness. 
Even  death  itself  could  not  break  the  bands  of 
truthful  allegiance,  or  shake  the  confidence  of 
these  black  heroes  of  the  cross. 

Notwithstanding  these  instances,  however,  the 
life  of  the  slave,  removed  from  the  influence  and 
example  of  the  whites,  was  a  scene  of  great  de- 
pravity. Gen.  Thomas  Pinckney,  in  a  work  pub- 
lished in  Charleston  in  1822,  says: 

Everything  consigned  to  the  management  of  the  slave,  who 
has  neithei-  the  incitement  of  interest  nor  the  fear  of  certain 
punishment,  is  neglected  or  abused;  horses  and  all  inferior  an- 
imals left  to  their  charge  are  badly  attended;  their  provender 
finds  its  way  to  the  dramshop,  and  they  are  used  without  dis- 
cretion or  mercy;  their  carriages  and  harness  are  slightly  and 
badly  cleaned;  the  tools  of  the  mechanics  are  broken  and  lost 
through  neglect;  their  very  clothing  becomes  more  expensive 
through  their  carelessness  arising  from  the  knowledge  that 
they  must  be  supplied  with  all  these  articles,  as  well  as  their 
subsistence,  at  their  master's  expense,  and  waste,  that  moth  of 
domestic  establishments,  universally^  prevails. 

The  Hon.  Charles  Cotesworth  Pinckney,  in  an 
address  before  the  Agricultural  Society  of  South 
Carolina  in  1829,  says: 

There  needs  no  stronger  illustration  of  the  doctrine  of  hu- 
man depravity  than  the  state  of  morals  on  plantations  in  gen- 
eral. Besides  the  mischievous  tendency  of  bad  example  in 
parents  and  elders,  the  little  negro  is  often  taught  by  these  his 


I02  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

natural  instructors  that  he  may  commit  any  vice  he  can  con- 
ceal from  his  superiors,  and  thus  falsehood  and  deception  are 
among  the  earliest  lessons  they  imbibe.  Their  advance  in 
years  is  but  a  progression  to  the  higher  grades  of  iniquity. 
The  violation  of  the  seventh  commandment  is  viewed  in  a  more 
venial  light  than  in  fashionable  European  circles.  Their  depre- 
dations of  rice  have  been  estimated  to  amount  to  twenty-five 
per  cent,  on  the  gross  average  of  crops,  and  this  calculation 
was  made,  after  fifty  years'  experience,  by  one  whose  liberal 
provision  for  their  wants  left  no  excuse  for  their  ingratitude. 

Hon.  Whitemarsh  B.  Seabrook,  in  an  "Essay 
on  the  Management  of  Slaves,"  Charleston,  1834, 
says : 

As  human  beings,  however,  slaves  are  liable  to  all  the  in- 
firmities of  our  nature.  Ignorant  and  fanatical,  none  are  more 
easily  excited.  Incendiaries  might  readily  embitter  their  en- 
joyments and  render  them  a  curse  to  themselves  and  the  com- 
munity. .  .  .  The  prominent  offenses  of  the  slave  are  to  be 
traced,  in  most  instances,  to  the  use  of  intoxicating  liquors. 
This  is  one  of  the  main  sources  of  every  insurrectionary  move- 
ment Avhich  has  occurred  in  the  United  States.  We  are,  there- 
fore, bound  by  interest  as  well  as  the  common  feeling  of  hu- 
manity to  arrest  the  progress  of  what  may  emphatically  be 
called  the  contagious  disease  of  our  colored  population.  What 
have  become  of  the  millions  of  freemen  who  once  inhabited 
our  widely  spread  country.''  Ask  the  untiring  votaries  of  Bac- 
chus. Can  there  be  a  doubt  but  that  the  authority  of  the  mas- 
ter alone  prevents  his  slaves  from  experiencing  the  fate  of  the 
aborigines  of  America.''  .  .  .  At  one  time  polygamy  was  a 
common  crime;  it  is  now  of  rare  occurrence.  .  .  .  Between 
slaves  on  the  same  plantation  there  is  a  deep  sympathy  of  feel- 
ing which  binds  them  so  closely  together  that  a  crime  commit- 
ted by  one  of  their  number  is  seldom  discovered  through  their 
instrumentality.  This  is  an  obstacle  to  the  establishment  of  an 
efficient  police,  which  the  domestic  legislator  can  with  difficulty 
surmount. 

C.  W.  Gooch,   Esq.,    of  Henrico  County,  Vir- 


The  Negro  without  the  Gospel.  103 

ginia,  in  a  prize  essay  on  agriculture  in  Virginia, 
says : 

The  slave  feels  no  inducement  to  execute  work  with  effect. 
He  has  a  particular  art  of  slighting  it,  and  seeming  to  be  busy 
when  in  fact  he  is  doing  little  or  nothing.  Nor  can  he  be  made 
to  take  proper  care  of  stock,  tools,  or  anything  else.  He  will 
rarely  take  care  of  his  clothes  or  his  own  health,  much  less  of 
his  companion's,  when  sick  and  requiring  his  aid  and  kindness. 
There  is  perhaps  not  in  nature  a  more  heedless,  thoughtless 
human  being  than  a  Virginia  field  negro.  With  no  care  upon 
his  mind,  with  warm  clothing  and  plenty  of  food  under  a  good 
master,  he  is  far  the  happier  man  of  the  two.  His  maxim  is: 
"  Come  day,  go  day,  God  send  Sunday."  His  abhorrence  of  the 
poor  white  man  is  very  great.  He  may  sometimes  feel  a  re- 
flected respect  for  him,  in  consequence  of  the  confidence  and 
esteem  of  his  master  and  others.  But  this  trait  is  remarkable  in 
the  white,  as  in  the  black  man.  All  despise  poverty  and  seem 
to  worship  wealth.  To  the  losses  which  arise  from  the  disposi- 
tions of  our  slaves  must  be  added  those  which  are  occasioned  by 
Xh&iv  habits.  There  seems  to  be  an  almost  entire  absence  of  moral 
principle  among  the  mass  of  our  colored  population.  But  details 
upon  this  subject  would  be  here  misplaced.  To  steal  and  not 
to  be  detected  is  a  merit  among  them,  as  it  was  with  certain 
people  in  ancient  times,  and  is  at  this  day  with  some  unenlight- 
ened portions  of  mankind.  And  the  vice  which  they  hold  in 
greatest  abhorrence  is  that  of  telling  upon  one  another.  There 
are  many  exceptions,  it  is  true,  but  this  description  embraces 
more  than  a  majority.  The  numerous  free  negroes  and  worth- 
less, dissipated  whites  who  have  no  visible  means  of  support,  and 
who  are  rarely  seen  at  work,  derive  their  chief  subsistence  from 
the  slaves.  These  thefts  amount  to  a  good  deal  in  the  course  of 
the  year,  and  operate  like  leeches  on  the  fair  income  of  agricul- 
ture. They  vary,  however,  in  every  county  and  neighborhood 
in  exact  proportion  as  the  market  for  the  plunder  varies.  In 
the  vicinity  of  towns  and  villages  they  are  the  most  serious. 
Besides  the  actual  loss  of  property  occasioned  by  them,  they 
involve  the  riding  of  our  horses  at  night,  the  corruption  of  the 
habits  and  the  injury  of  the  health  of  the  slaves,  for  whisky  is 
the  price  generally  received  for  them. 


I04  The  Gospel  among-  the  Slaves. 

These  are  gloomy  pictures  of  the  moral  qualities 
of  the  negro  on  the  large  plantations  of  the  South, 
but  those  who  were  fully  acquainted  with  the  slave 
and  his  surroundings  cannot  deny  the  accuracy  of 
the  statements  we  have  copied  from  writers  of  sev- 
enty years  ago.  It  must  be  observed,  however, 
that  these  slaves  were  so  situated  as  to  come  un- 
der the  influence  of  the  white  race  to  a  very  small 
extent,  and  these  representatives  of  a  higher  civil- 
ization were  by  no  means  qualified  to  instruct  or 
elevate  the  negro.  In  many  instances,  as  Mr. 
Gooch  says,  these  "poor  whites  "  were  not  only 
the  accomplices  in  crime  in  common  with  the  ne- 
groes, but  they  were  the  instigators  to  petty  thefts 
and  raids  upon  the  supplies  of  the  planters. 

If  the  negro  slaves  were  thus  depraved  and  al- 
most destitute  of  moral  principle,  what  can  be 
said  of  those  negroes  who  were  set  free  early  in 
this  century,  in  the  states  of  the  North,  as  well  as 
those  of  the  South?  Very  many  experiments  were 
made  in  the  South,  and  the  conviction  of  conserv- 
ative minds,  after  full  and  fair  trial,  was  that  the 
negro's  condition  was  not  improved  by  emancipa- 
tion. The  picture  drawn  by  Dr.  Jones  gives  the 
following  view  of  the  moral  and  religious  condi- 
tion of  the  free  negro  population : 

They  are  emphaticall}-  lovers  of  pleasure  and  show.  All 
kinds  of  amusements,  except  those  which  involve  labor  or  re- 
flection, possess  great  attraction  for  them,  and  their  indulgence 
is  limited  only  by  their  means  of  access  to  them. 

With  a  passion  for  dress,  they  frequently  spend  all  they 
make  in  fine  clothes;  their  appearance  on  the  Sabbath  and  on 


The  Negro  zvithoiit  the  Gospel.  105 

public  days  is  anything  else  but  an  index  of  their  fortunes  and 
comforts  at  home.  They  hire  clothing  for  set  occasions  if  they 
have  none  sufficiently  good. 

Proverbially  idle,  the  majority  work  not  except  from  neces- 
sity, and  as  soon  as  they  collect  a  little  money  they  must  enjoy 
themselves  upon  it.  They  have  been  known  to  refuse  employ- 
ment because  not  exactly  out  of  money.  Their  love  of  ease 
overcomes  that  of  gain.  This  propensity  to  idleness  exposes 
them  to  manifold  temptations,  plunges  them  into  numerous 
vices,  and  subjects  them  to  great  privation  and  suffering. 

They  are  amazingly  improvident.  One  melting  ray  from  a 
summer  sun  dissipates  every  remembrance  of  a  long  and  dreary 
winter  of  suffering.  The  golden  season  of  labor  is  passed  in 
lounging  along  the  streets  and  basking  in  the  sun,  or  a  lazy, 
bungling,  and  fitful  attempt  at  work.  Those  that  have  regular 
trades  and  employment  do  better.  Profane  swearing,  quarrel- 
ing, fighting,  and  Sabbath  breaking  are  such  common  vices  that 
they  require  no  special  notice. 

Drunkenness,  with  its  attendant  woes,  hurries  large  numbers 
of  them  to  sudden  and  untimely  ends.  Low,  dark,  secluded, 
and  filthy  dramshops  are  favorite  resorts;  often  the  deposito- 
ries of  stolen  goods.  I  have  seen  them  living  upon  a  few 
crackers  a  day  and  as  much  whisky  as  they  could  procure; 
their  life  spent  in  idleness,  nightly  revels,  drunkenness,  and  de- 
bauchery. 

Theft  is  still  with  them,  in  a  state  of  freedom,  a  character- 
istic vice.  Their  pettv  larcenies  are  without  number,  and  they 
advance  to  burglaries  and  give  constant  emplo\'ment  to  police 
officers.  Let  any  one  attend  the  city  courts  in  our  chief  towns 
in  the  free  states  or  read  the  reports  of  cases  in  the  newspapers, 
and  he  will  be  surprised  at  the  number  of  colored  persons  among 
prisoners  charged  with  crime.  Stabbing  and  murder  have,  of 
late  years,  not  become  infrequent. 

Lewdness  is  without  bounds.  Great  numbers,  both  in  the 
slave  and  free  states,  not  only  pursue  the  vice,  but  are  trained 
up  to  it  as  a  means  of  living.  Infanticide  and  the  crimes  and 
wretchedness  connected  with  the  vice  are  found  among  them. 
The  crime  of  infanticide  is  far  more  common  among  the  free 
negroes  in  the  free  than  in  the  slave  states.  Indeed,  it  is  by  no 
means  common  among  the  free   negroes  in   the  slave  states. 


io6  The  Gospel  cunong  the  Slaves. 

Their  marriage  relations,  too,  are  subject  to  dissolutions  from 
infidelity  and  various  other  causes.  It  is  a  remarkable  fact 
that  a  large  proportion  of  those  of  marriageable  age  remain  sin- 
gle, especially  in  the  free  states,  where  the  support  of  a  family 
is  difficult.  This  fact  has  a  considerable  bearing  on  their  state 
of  morals. 

With  a  few  extracts  from  different  publications  of  sixty  years 
ago,  this  branch  of  our  inquiry  shall  be  dismissed: 

"The  experience  of  the  states  north  and  east  of  the  Susque- 
hanna, with  regard  to  this  class  of  persons,  is  not  on  the  whole 
much  more  encouraging — r .  c,  than  that  of  the  Southern  States, 
where  it  is  bad.  The  number  of  respectable  individuals  is  con- 
siderably greater,  indeed,  but  the  character  of  the  mass  nearly 
the  same.  Nor  can  it  be  urged  that  they  are  here  debarred  ac- 
cess to  the  ordinary  means  of  moral  and  intellectual  regenera- 
tion. On  the  contrary,  schools  are  established  for  them,  they 
are  aided  in  procuring  the  conveniences  of  religious  instruction 
and  divine  worship,  they  are  united  into  societies  adapted  to 
produce  self-respect  and  mental  activity,  exemplary  attention  is 
paid  in  numerous  instances  to  the  regulation  of  their  habits  and 
principles.  They  have  every  facility  which  is  enjoyed  by  the 
laboring  classes  among  the  whites  of  acquiring  a  plain  educa- 
tion and  a  comfortable  subsistence  and  of  making  provison  for 
their  children.  They  have  the  same  legal  security  in  person 
and  property,  and  generally  the  same  political  rights  as  the  rest 
of  the  community."     (Walsh's  Appeal.) 

"  Taken  as  a  whole,  the  free  blacks  must  be  considered  the 
most  worthless  and  indolent  of  the  citizens  of  the  United  States. 
It  is  well  known  that  throughout  the  whole  extent  of  our  Un- 
ion they  are  looked  upon  as  the  very  drones  and  pests  of  soci- 
ety. Nor  does  this  character  arise  from  their  disabilities  and  dis- 
franchisement, by  which  the  law  attempts  to  guard  against  them. 
In  the  nonslaveholding  states,  where  they  have  been  more  ele- 
vated by  law,  this  kind  of  population  is  in  a  worse  condition  and 
much  more  troublesome  to  society  than  in  the  slaveholding  and 
especially  in  the  planting  states.  Ohio,  some  years  ago,  formed 
a  sort  of  land  of  promise  for  this  deluded  class,  to  which  many 
have  repaired  from  the  slaveholding  states;  and  what  has  been 
the  consequence.^  They  have  been  most  harshly  expelled  from 
that  state  and  forced  to  take  refuge  in  a  foreign  land.     Look 


The  Negro  without  the  Gospel.  107 

through  all  the  Northern  States  and  mark  the  class  upon  whom 
the  eye  of  the  police  is  most  steadily  and  constantly  kept ;  see 
with  what  vigilance  and  care  they  are  hunted  down  from  place  to 
place,  and  you  cannot  fail  to  see  that  idleness  and  improvidence 
are  at  the  root  of  all  their  misfortunes.  Not  only  does  the  ex- 
perience of  our  own  country  illustrate  the  fact,  but  others  fur- 
nish abundant  testimony."     (President  Dew.) 

"  Governor  Giles,  upon  a  calculation  based  on  the  average 
number  of  convictions  in  the  state  of  Virginia  from  the  peni- 
tentiary reports  up  to  1829,  shows  that  'crimes  among  the  free 
blacks  are  more  than  three  times  as  numerous  as  among  the 
whites,  and  four  and  a  half  times  more  numerous  than  among 
slaves,'  and  that  the  proportion  of  crime  is  still  not  as  great 
among  the  free  blacks  in  Virginia  as  in  Massachusetts.  Hence 
it  is  inferred  tljat  they  are  not  so  degraded  and  vicious  in  Vir- 
ginia, a  slave  state,  as  in  Massachusetts,  a  free  state."     {Ibid.) 

"  We  are  not  to  wonder  that  this  class  of  citizens  should  be 
so  depraved  and  immoral.  Idleness  and  consequent  want  are 
of  themselves  sufficient  to  generate  a  catalogue  of  vices  of  the 
most  mischievous  and  destructive  character.  Look  at  the  penal 
prosecutions  of  every  country  and  mark  the  situation  of  those 
who  fall  victims  to  the  law,  and  what  a  frightful  proportion  do 
we  find  among  the  indigent  and  idle  classes  of  society!  Idle- 
ness generates  want,  want  gives  rise  to  temptation,  and  strong 
temptation  makes  the  villain.  Mr.  Archer,  of  Virginia,  well  ob- 
served in  his  speech  before  the  Colonization  Society  that  the 
free  blacks  were  destined  by  an  insuperable  barrier  to  the  want 
of  occupation,  thence  to  the  want  of  food,  thence  to  the  dis- 
tresses which  ensue  that  want,  thence  to  the  settled  deprivation 
which  grows  out  of  those  distresses  and  is  nursed  at  their  bo- 
som."    {Ibid.) 

A  colony  of  free  blacks  were  expelled  from  Ohio  in  1832  on 
account  of  their  dissoluteness  and  dishonesty  and  misery,  being 
considered  in  the  light  of  vagabonds  and  nuisances.  A  college 
for  free  negroes  was  projected  in  New  Haven  about  the  same 
time,  and  the  respectable  citizens  opposed  and  suppressed  it, 
because  the  increase  of  that  class  of  population  was  considered 
an  evil. 

"  Few  of  them  (the  free  negro  population)  are  engaged  in 
any  trade  or  commerce  or  have  any  hopes  of  elevating  them- 


io8  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

selves  to  that  situation.  Nine-tenths  of  them  are  in  subordi- 
nate and  menial  situations,  and  likelj  thus  to  remain  at  low 
wages.  That  thej  labor  under  the  most  oppressive  disadvan- 
tages which  their  freedom  can  by  no  means  counterbalance  is 
too  obvious  to  admit  of  doubt." 

"  I  waive  all  inquiry  whether  this  be  right  or  wrong.  I 
speak  of  things  as  they  are,  not  as  they  might  or  ought  to  be. 
They  are  cut  off  from  the  most  remote  chance  of  amalgamation 
with  the  white  population  by  feelings  or  prejudices,  call  them 
what  you  will,  that  are  ineradicable.  The  situation  of  the  ma- 
jority of  them  is  more  unfavorable  than  that  of  many  of  the 
slaves.  With  all  the  burdens,  cares,  and  responsibilities  of  free- 
dom, they  have  few  or  none  of  its  substantial  benefits.  Their 
associations  are  and  must  be  chiefly  with  slaves.  Their  right 
of  suffrage  gives  them  little,  if  anj-,  political  influence,  and  they 
are  practically,  if  not  theoretically,  excluded  from  representa- 
tion in  our  public  councils.  No  merit,  no  services,  no  talents 
can  ever  elevate  the  great  mass  of  them  to  a  level  with  the 
whites.  Occasionally  an  exception  may  arise.  A  colored  indi- 
vidual of  great  talents,  merits,  and  wealth  may  emerge  from  the 
crowd.  Cases  of  this  kind  are,  to  the  last  degree,  rare.  The 
colored  people  are  subjected  to  legal  disabilities  more  or  less 
galling  and  severe  in  every  state  in  the  Union.  .  .  .  There 
is  no  reason  to  expect  that  the  lapse  of  centuries  will  make  any 
change  in  this  respect — /.  e.,  the  jealousy  with  which  they  are 
regarded.  They  will  always,  unhappily,  be  regarded  as  an  in- 
ferior race."     ("Carey's  Letters,"  Letter  12.) 

Mr.  Everett,  in  a  speech  before  the  Colonization  Society, 
1833,  says:  "The  free  blacks  form  in  Massachusetts  about  one 
seventy-fifth  part  of  the  population.  One-sixth  of  the  convicts 
in  our  prisons  are  of  this  class." 

A  memorial  pi-esented  to  the  Legislature  of  Connecticut  in 
1834  states:  "Not  a  week,  hardly  a  day,  passes  that  they  (the 
colored  people)  are  not  implicated  in  the  violation  of  some 
law.  Assaults  and  batteries,  insolence  to  the  whites,  compel- 
ling a  breach  of  the  peace,  riots  in  the  streets,  petty  thefts, 
and  continual  trespasses  on  property  are  such  common  occur- 
rences, resulting  from  the  license  they  enjoy,  that  they  have 
ceased  to  become  subjects  of  remark.  It  is  but  recently  that  a 
band  of  negroes  paraded  the  streets  of  New  Haven  armed  with 


The  Negro  tvithoiit  the  Gospel.  109 

clubs  and  pistols  and  dirks  with  the  avowed  purpose  of  prevent- 
ing the  law  of  the  land  from  being  enforced  against  one  of  their 
species.  Upon  being  accosted  by  an  officer  of  justice  and  com- 
manded to  retire  peaceably  to  their  homes,  their  only  reply  con- 
sisted of  abuse  and  threats  of  personal  violence.  The  law  was 
overshadowed  and  the  officer  consulted  his  own  safety  in  a 
timely  retreat."  The  memorial  then  proceeds  to  show  that  the 
evil  complained  of  has  so  rapidly  progressed  that  the  whites 
have  become  the  subjects  of  insult  and  abuse  whenever  they 
have  refused  to  descend  to  familiarity  with  them ;  that  them- 
selves, their  wives  and  children  have  been  driven  from  the 
pavements,  where  they  have  not  submitted  to  personal  conflict; 
that  from  the  licentiousness  of  their  general  habits  they  have 
invariably  depreciated  the  value  of  property  by  their  location  in 
its  neighborhood,  and  that  from  their  notorious  uncleanliness 
and  filth,  they  have  become  common  nuisances  to  the  commu- 
nity.    (Memorial.) 

From  the  report  of  the  warden  of  the  Connecticut  State 
Prison,  183S,  it  appears  that  "  the  number  of  blacks  in  confine- 
ment compared  with  the  whites  is  ten  to  twelve  times  greater 
than  is  the  proportion  of  the  black  to  the  white  population  in 
the  state."     (Journal  of  Commerce,  May  16,  1838.) 

"  The  records  of  crime  in  the  free  states  show  a  frightful 
disproportion  in  the  numbers  of  white  and  black  offenders,  and 
especially  in  those  states  where  there  are  no  disabilities  or  re- 
strictions by  law  imposed  upon  the  blacks." 

"In  Massachusetts  they  are  i-74th  part  of  the  population, 
yet  they  are  in  the  proportion  of  1-6  of  the  convicts  in  the  state 
prison;  in  Connecticut,  i-34th  part  of  the  whole,  1-3  of  the 
number  in  the  penitentiary;  New  York,  i-35th,  and  1-4  of  the 
convicts;  New  Jersey,  i-i3th, and  1-3;  Pennsylvania,  i-35th,  and 
1-3.  In  Ohio  the  black  population  is  i  to  115  whites;  convicts, 
7  to  ICO.  Vermont,  by  the  census  of  1830,  contained  277,000 
souls;  918  were  negroes.  In  1831  there  were  74  convicts  in  the 
prison,  and  of  these  24  were  negroes.  When  compared  with 
what  is  reported  of  the  proportion  of  negroes  in  the  prisons  of 
the  slaveholding  states,  it  is  shown  that  the  proportion  of  ne- 
groes in  the  penitentiaries  of  the  free  states  is  in  the  ratio  of 
more  than  ten  to  one  in  favor  of  the  slaveholding  states.  The 
free  negroes  in  Ohio  in  the  aggregate  ai-e  in  no  better  condition, 


no  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

therefore,  than  the  slaves  in  Kentucky.  They  are  excluded 
from  social  intercourse  with  the  whites,  and  whatever  of  educa- 
tion you  may  give  them  will  not  tend  to  elevate  their  standing 
to  any  considerable  extent.  (F'rom  the  report  of  the  committee 
on  the  judiciary,  relative  to  the  repeal  of  laws  reposing  restric- 
tions and  disabilities  on  blacks  and  mulattoes,  by  Mr.  Cushing, 
February  21,  1835.  Agreed  to  unanimously.  Legislature  of 
Ohio.) 

These  testimonies  are  taken  from  a  wide  ranjje 
of  authorities,  and  there  is  not  a  dissenting  voice 
among  them.  The  sudden  emancipation  of  the 
negro  race  in  1820  or  1830  would  have  resulted  in 
desolation  and  ruin  to  every  interest  of  the  South- 
ern States.  Can  any  one  be  surprised  that  the 
owners  of  slaves  and  those  who  owned  none  were 
alike  interested  in  resisting  the  furious  fanaticism 
of  New  England  abolitionists? 


CHAPTER  IX. 
Negro  Insurrections. 

IT  is  not  an  uncommon  thing  for  the  hostile  writ- 
ers of  the  North  to  declare  that  the  inhumani- 
ties practiced  upon  the  slaves  were  the  causes  of 
rebellion  among  them.  Attempts  at  recovering 
their  freedom  were  made,  we  are  told,  because 
Southern  masters  were  cruel  and  drove  their  ne- 
groes to  insurrection  as  the  only  remedy  for  their 
intolerable  evils.  The  fact  is  that  the  first  insur- 
rection of  note  in  this  country,  an  insurrection  of 
blacks  against  the  whites,  occurred  in  the  city  of 
New  York  in  1712.  A  Mr.  Neau  had  established 
a  school  for  the  religious  instruction  of  the  blacks, 
and  when  the  negroes,  who  numbered  about  twelve 
hundred,  formed  a  conspiracy  for  the  extermina- 
tion of  the  whites,  it  was  charged  immediately  that 
the  school  of  Mr.  Neau  was  at  the  bottom  of  all 
the  trouble.  A  fearful  state  of  excitement  existed 
for  a  time,  but  when  the  calm  inquiry  of  the  judi- 
cial authorities  was  made,  the  truth  became  appar- 
ent. "  The  guilty  negroes  were  found  to  be  such 
as  never  came  to  Mr.  Neau's  school,  and  what  is 
very  observable,  the  persons  whose  negroes  were 
found  most  guilty  were  such  as  were  the  declared 
opposers  of  making  them  Christians." 

This  is  a  remarkable  proof  of  the  salutary  influ- 

(111) 


112  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

ence  of  the  gospel  among  the  negro  race.  The 
influence  of  a  single  school,  taught  by  one  man, 
prevented  the  entire  complicity  of  a  race  in  the 
attempt  to  burn  a  city  and  to  murder  the  whole 
population.  The  dreadful  massacre  was  to  begin 
at  the  hour  of  midnight,  and  from  refreshing  slum- 
bers a  whole  city  was  to  be  deluged  with  blood. 
Providential  interference  saved  the  city  of  New 
York  in  171 2,  but  what  motives  prompted  the  ne- 
groes of  New  York  to  insurrection? 

Another  insurrection  is  upon  record,  occurring 
in  New  York  in  1741.  It  is  doubtful,  however, 
whether  this  was  a  real  rebellion  or  only  the  crea- 
ture of  the  excited  imagination  of  the  New  York 
people.  Similar  "scares"  were  experienced  by 
Boston,  of  all  the  places  in  the  world.  But  these 
instances  are  wanting  in  positive  proof.  Never- 
theless, what  state  of  things  gave  rise  to  the/ear 
of  insurrection?  Was  it  the  cruel  treatment  of 
the  slaves  by  their  Northern  masters?  It  may 
have  been  so;  but  one  notable  fact  may  be  stated 
as  part  of  the  record.  At  no  time  did  the  black 
population  of  the  North  number  one-half  or  one- 
third  of  the  entire  inhabitants,  and  in  a  contest  of 
mere  physical  ability  the  negroes  were  never  the 
equals  to  the  whites.  On  the  contrary,  in  the 
states  of  South  Carolina  and  Georgia,  there  were 
large  sections  of  the  country  in  which  the  blacks 
outnumbered  the  whites  by  five  to  one.  What 
power  was  it  that  preserved  the  authority  of  the 
masters,  if  it  was  not  the  moral  power  exerted  by 


Negro  Insurrections.  113 

a  superior  race?  Could  this  power  control  the 
thousands  who  were  exasperated  against  the  hun- 
dreds of  whites,  if  there  were  no  ties,  no  kindness, 
no  respect  engendered  by  humane  treatment,  and 
uniform  justice  among  the  masters  ? 

There  was  a  rebellion  and  an  attempt  at  insur- 
rection in  South  Carolina  in  1730,  and  three  in 
1739,  but  these  were  fomented  by  the  Spaniards 
of  St.  Augustine,  and  cannot  be  regarded  as  the 
instinctive  movements  of  the  slaves. 

The  insurrection  of  1816  in  South  Carolina  is 
the  only  one  in  which  negroes  hitherto  religious 
were  found  to  be  concerned  in  the  capacity  of 
leaders.  "Two  brothers,"  says  Mr.  F.  S.  De- 
liesseline,  "  engaged  in  this  rebellion  could  read 
and  write,  and  were  hitherto  of  unexceptionable 
characters.  They  were  religious,  and  had  always 
been  regarded  in  the  light  of  faithful  servants.  A 
few  appeared  to  have  been  actuated  by  the  instinct 
of  the  most  brutal  licentiousness  and  by  the  lust 
of  plunder;  but  most  of  them  by  wild  and  fanatic 
ideas  of  the  rights  of  man,  and  the  misconceived 
injunctions  of  Holy  Writ." 

Of  the  insurrection  of  1822  in  Charleston,  S.  C, 
Mr.  Benjamin  Elliott  writes:  "This  description 
of  our  population  had  been  allowed  to  assemble 
for  religious  instruction.  The  designing  leaders 
in  the  scheme  of  villainly  availed  themselves  of 
these  occasions  to  instill  sentiments  of  ferocity  by 
falsifying  the  Bible."  After  showing  how  this 
falsification  of  the  Scriptures  was  done  Mr.  Elliott 


114  '^^^^  Gosfcl  among  the  Slaves. 

remarks:  "Another  impediment  to  the  progress  of 
conspiracy  will  be  the  fidelity  of  some  of  our  ne- 
groes. The  servant,  who  is  false  to  his  master, 
would  be  false  to  his  God.  One  act  of  perfidy  is 
but  the  first  step  in  the  road  of  corruption  and  of 
baseness,  and  those  who  on  this  occasion  have 
proved  ungrateful  to  their  owners  have  also  been 
hypocrites  in  religion." 

Referring  to  the  same  affair  of  1822,  Mr.  C.  C. 
Pinckney  says:  "On  investigation  it  appeared 
that  all  concerned  in  that  transaction,  except  one, 
had  seceded  from  the  regular  Methodist  Church 
in  181 7  and  formed  a  separate  establishment  in 
connection  wdth  the  African  Methodist  Society  of 
Philadelphia,  whose  bishop,  a  colored  man  named 
Allen,  had  assumed  that  office,  being  himself  a  se- 
ceder  from  the  Methodist  Church  of  Pennsylva- 
nia. At  this  period  Mr.  S.  Bryan,  the  local  min- 
ister of  the  regular  Methodist  Church  in  Charles- 
ton, was  so  apprehensive  of  sinister  designs  that 
he  addressed  a  letter  to  the  city  council,  on  file  in 
the  council  chamber,  dated  November  8,  181 7, 
stating  at  length  the  reasons  of  his  suspicion." 

"The  South  Hampton  affair  in  Virginia  in  1832 
was  originated  by  a  man  under  color  of  religion, 
a  pretender  to  inspiration.  As  far  back  as  1825 
the  Rev.  Dr.  J.  H.  Rice,  in  a  discourse  on  the  in- 
jury done  to  religion  by  ignorant  teachers,  warned 
the  people  of  Virginia  against  the  neglect  of  the 
religious  instruction  of  the  negroes,  and  the  dan- 
ger of  leaving  them  to  the  control  of  their  igno- 


Negro  Insurrections.  115 

rant,  fanatical,  and  designing  preachers.  His 
prophecy  had  its  fulfillment  in  South  Hampton. 
If  we  refer  to  the  West  Indies,  we  shall  behold  re- 
ligion exerting  a  restraining  influence  upon  the 
people,  and  particularly  on  one  occasion  all  the 
negroes  attached  to  the  Moravian  Missionary 
Churches  to  a  man  supported  the  authority  of 
their  masters  against  the  insurgents. 

"Enough  has  been  said  to  satisfy  reasonable 
and  Christian  men  that  sound  religious  instruction 
will  contribute  to  safety.  There  are  men  who 
have  no  knowledge  of  religion  in  their  own  per- 
sonal experience,  and  who  have  not  been  careful 
to  notice  its  genuine  effects  upon  servants,  and 
they  will  place  little  or  no  confidence  in  anything 
that  might  be  said  in  favor  of  it.  They  can  place 
more  reliance  upon  visible  preventives  of  their  own 
invention  than  upon  principles  of  moral  conduct 
wrought  in  the  soul  and  maintained  in  supremacy 
by  divine  power,  whose  nature  they  do  not  under- 
stand, and  whose  influence,  however  good,  is  in- 
visible, and  for  that  very  reason  not  to  be  trusted 
by  them.  Nor  have  they  either  the  candor  or  the 
willingness  to  make  a  distinction  between  false  and 
true  religion.  In  their  opinion  the  gospel  is  no 
benefit  to  the  world.  Such  men  we  are  con- 
strained to  leave  to  the  influence  of  time  and  ob- 
servation, and  invoke  for  them  the  influence  of 
the  spirit  of  God.  I  shall  never  forget  the  remark 
of  a  venerable  colored  preacher  made  with  refer- 
ence  to   the   South   Hampton  tragedy.     With  his 


Ii6  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

eyes  full  of  tears  and  his  whole  manner  indicating 
the  deepest  emotion,  he  said:  'Sir,  it  is  the  gos- 
pel that  we  ignorant  and  wicked  people  need.  If 
you  will  give  us  the  gospel,  it  will  do  more  for  the 
obedience  of  servants  and  the  peace  of  the  com- 
munity than  all  your  guards  and  guns  and  bayo- 
nets.' This  same  Christian  minister,  on  receiv- 
ing a  packet  of  inflammatory  pamphlets  through 
the  post  office  and  discovering  their  character  and 
intention,  immediately  called  upon  the  Mayor  of 
the  city  and  delivered  them  into  his  hands.  Who 
can  estimate  the  value,  in  a  community,  of  one 
such  man  acting  under  the  influence  of  the  gospel 
of  peace?  " 

We  may  append  to  these  remarks  of  Dr.  Jones 
the  following  inquiry:  Who  can  measure  the  atroc- 
ity of  the  society  or  the  individual  who,  in  the  safe 
shelter  of  a  New  England  town,  could  write  and 
print  pamphlets  and  books  designed  to  excite  an 
insurrection  of  the  slaves  and  the  murder  of  their 
masters?  Is  there  a  more  horrible  act  of  wicked- 
ness in  the  whole  catalogue  of  human  crimes?  Yet 
the  time  has  been  and  now  is  when  the  writers  of 
such  pamphlets  and  the  authors  of  incendiary 
tracts  have  been  praised  in  the  pulpit,  and  hymns 
to  their  memory  chanted  in  the  house  of  God  by 
professed  ministers  of  the  gospel ! 


CHAPTER  X. 
Beginnings  of  Missionary  Work. 

IN  1758  Mr.  Wesley  made  his  first  African  con- 
vert, and  the  first  African  convert  in  the  world 
to  a  Protestant  religion.  This  was  a  slave  woman 
belonging  to  one  Mr.  Nathaniel  Gilbert,  a  rich 
West  India  planter.  This  conversion  took  place 
during  Mr.  Gilbert's  sojourn  in  England.  Of  the 
glorious  results  of  this  conversion  and  also  that  of 
Mr.  Gilbert  every  reader  of  Methodist  history  is 
famihar.  It  was  the  means  of  planting  Methodism 
in  the  West  India  Islands. 

"  Slavery  was  introduced  into  Georgia  in  1740. 
Consequently  it  was  not  there  during  the  stay  of 
the  t^^'o  Wesleys,  nor  at  the  time  of  the  first  visit  of 
Whitefield.  On  the  second  visit  of  the  latter,  how- 
ever, it  had  been  just  introduced.  During  his 
third,  fourth,  fifth,  and  sixth  visits,  we  have  the 
repeated  record  of  his  preaching  to  slaves  in  the 
congregations  of  the  whites  from  Georgia  to  New 
Ensfland.  In  more  than  one  instance  there  is  the 
account  of  a  happy  conversion. 

"On  Mr.  Whitefield' s  seventh  and  last  visit  to 
America  he  brought  with  him  a  young  man,  Cor- 
nelius Winter  by  name,  who  became  the  first  mis- 
sionary to  the  negroes.*     The  young  man  found  a 

*  Smith's  "  History  of  Methodism  in  Georgia." 

(117) 


ii8  The  Gospel  auiotig  the  Slaves. 

stanch  friend  in  James  Habersham,  afterward 
Governor  of  the  colony.  He  had  come  out  the 
year  before  with  Whitefield  to  act  as  teacher,  but 
had  now  taken  to  merchandising.  Winter's  first 
post  was  that  of  catechist  on  the  plantation  of  a 
retired  Episcopal  clergyman.  His  efforts  seem  to 
have  been  marked  with  very  little  success  from  the 
first.  This  was  doubtless  not  owing  either  to  the 
young  man's  inability  or  lack  of  zeal,  but  simply 
to  the  fact  that  at  that  early  day  the  planters  of 
Georgia,  as  elsewhere,  were  not  in  sympathy  with 
the  effort  to  spiritually  enlighten  their  slaves.  Still 
Winter  kindled  a  little  beam  of  light  here  and 
there  that  doubtless  continued  to  shine  for  many 
a  day.  In  a  year's  time,  discouraged  with  the  op- 
position he  met.  Winter  returned  to  England. 

"The  year  before  the  coming  of  Cornelius  Win- 
ter to  Georgia  saw  the  building  of  the  first  Meth- 
odist chapel  in  New  York,  and  the  second  in 
America.  On  the  list  of  subscriptions  raised  for 
this  building  appeared  the  names  of  many  African 
slaves.  They  were  allowed  a  place  in  the  congre- 
gation of  the  whites,  and  treated  with  respect  and 
consideration  within  the  walls  of  the  building  their 
zeal  had  helped  to  rear.  Embury  preached  to 
them,  and  so  did  Webb.  Doubtless  good  Mother 
Barbara  showed  many  of  them  the  way  of  life. 
Later  we  find  Boardman,  Pilmoor,  Rankin,  Shad- 
ford,  Owens,  Watters,  Williams,  and  the  other 
early  Methodist  itinerants,  preaching  to  them  here 
and    there,  as    they  would    congregate  with    the 


beginnings  of  Missionary  Woi'k.  119 

whites.  Asbury,  from  the  moment  of  his  landing 
on  the  continent,  had  his  heart  filled  with  plans 
for  their  spiritual  amelioration. 

"Almost  simultaneously  with  the  introduction  of 
Methodism  came  cotton  into  the  colonies.  Now 
let  us  pause  for  a  moment  and  see  what  relation 
one  had  to  the  other,  and  herein  trace  the  work- 
ings of  that  providence  which  had  in  its  hands  the 
shaping  of  ends  then  little  dreamed  of  by  man. 
Before  the  introduction  of  cotton,  we  find  indigo, 
rice,  and  tobacco  the  three  staples  of  the  colonies, 
according  to  geographical  situation.  For  som.e 
years,  owing  to  the  lack  of  certain  facilities,  all 
three  had  begun  to  decline  in  marketable  value, 
especially  rice  and  indigo.  The  planters  were 
awakening  to  the  realization  that  in  the  end  it  cost 
as  much,  or  almost  as  much,  to  maintain  their 
slaves  as  they  gained  from  their  crops.  Dissatis- 
faction with  slavery  was,  therefore,  rife  in  the  col- 
onies, and  the  thought  of  emancipation  had  come 
to  be  seriously  entertained. 

"'King  Cotton'  suddenly  appeared  upon  the 
scene.  He  made  his  appearance  at  first  only  in  a 
few  fleecy  stalks  raised  in  flower  gardens.  But 
some  one  went  to  experimenting,  and  when,  in 
1784,  eight  bags  of  this  staple  arrived  in  Liverpool, 
the  customhouse  officers  seized  it  on  the  plea  that 
so  much  could  not  be  raised  in  America.* 

"In  1787,  just  four  years  after  the  last  British 

*  Barnes's  "United  States  History." 


I20  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

soldier  had  left  American  shores,  the  first  cotton 
mill  was  established  at  Beverly,  Mass.  But  not 
yet  had  cotton  raising  become  profitable.  One 
great  obstacle  stood  in  the  way:  to  clean  a  pound 
of  cotton  by  hand  required  a  day's  labor.  On 
some  of  the  plantations  this  work  of  picking  the 
fleece  from  the  seed  used  to  be  performed  at  night 
often  by  members  of  the  planter's  family.  It  is 
related  of  more  than  one  of  the  earlier  Methodist 
preachers,  especially  of  Bishop  Asbury,  that  while 
seated  around  the  fireside  of  their  host  they  would 
engage  with  the  family  and  sei'vants  in  picking  out 
the  cotton  seed.  Doubtless  at  such  a  time  other 
seed  were  dropped  by  the  way,  the  precious  seed 
of  immortal  life. 

"This  slow  and  tedious  way  of  picking  out  the 
cotton  seed  could  not  continue  if  profit  was  to  be 
realized  from  the  staple.  Something  must  be 
done — some  expeditious  means  of  separating  lint 
from  seed  must  be  found.  Much  was  said,  and 
much  written.  The  question  was  agitated  from 
New  England  to  Georgia.  Inventive  genius  was 
aroused.  Many  suggestions  were  made,  various 
plans  were  tried.  Then  came  the  invention  of  the 
cotton  gin  by  Eh  Whitney,  a  Massachusetts  man, 
while  residing  with  the  widow  of  Gen.  Nathaniel 
Greene,  at  Mulberry  Grove,  Ga.  But  even  he 
did  not  succeed  at  first.  It  was  a  woman,  after 
all,  who  gave  him  his  principal  idea.  Said  Mrs. 
Greene:  'Crook  the  pins.'  This  he  did,  when 
lo !  the  result  gave  to  the  world  one  of  the  foremost 


Beginnings  of  JMissionary  Work.  121 

inventions  of  the  nineteenth  century.  The  news 
of  the  wonderful  invention  spread  from  state  to 
state.  The  spirits  of  the  planters  began  to  rise. 
Cotton  would  yet  become  profitable  to  cultivate, 
and  the  source  of  a  great  revenue.  No  thought 
now  of  emancipation." 

The  reader  will  be  interested  in  the  fact  that  the 
first  great  monopoly  of  inventions  in  the  United 
States  was  the  manufacture  of  the  cotton  gin. 
Whitney's  success,  by  the  help  of  Mrs.  Greene, 
led  to  the  construction  of  a  machine  that  was  ab- 
solutely indispensable  to  the  planters.  This  fact 
promoted  the  cupidity  and  a.varice  of  the  inventor, 
and  he  attempted  to  extort  an  enormous  price  for 
the  use  of  his  cotton  gin.  The  following  extract 
we  take  from  the  columns  of  the  Louisville  (Ga.) 
Gazette,  of  November  12,  1800.  It  is  a  part  of 
the  message  of  his  Excellency,  James  Jackson, 
Governor  of  the  State  of  Georgia,  addressed  to 
the  Legislature  of  the  State : 

And  here  I  request  your  attention  to  the  patent  gin  monop- 
olj,  under  the  law  of  the  United  States,  entitled  "An  Act  to  ex- 
tend the  privilege  of  obtaining  patents  for  useful  discoveries 
and  inventions  to  certain  persons  therein  mentioned,  and  to  en- 
large and  define  the  penalties  for  violating  the  rights  of  pat- 
entees." The  operation  of  this  law  is  a  prevention  and  cramp- 
ing of  genius,  as  respects  cotton  machines,  a  manifest  injury  to 
the  community,  and  in  many  respects  a  cruel  extortion  on  the 
gin  holders.  The  two  important  states  of  Georgia  and  South 
Carolina,  where  this  article  appears  to  be  becoming  the  princi- 
pal staple,  are  made  tributary  to  two  persons  who  have  obtained 
the  patent,  and  who  demand,  as  I  am  informed,  two  hundred 
dollars  for  the  mere  liberty  of  using  a  ginning  machine,  in  the 
creation  of  which  the  patentees  do  not  expend  one  farthing,  and 


122  Tlic  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

which  sum,  as  they  now  think  their  right  secured,  it  is  in  their 
power  in  future  licenses  to  raise  to  treble  that  amount,  from  the 
information  given  me  by  a  respectable  merchant  of  this  town, 
whose  letter  on  the  subject  is  marked  No.  6.  When  Miller  and 
Whitney,  the  patentees,  first  distributed  tae  machines  of  their 
construction,  they  reserved  the  right  of  property  in  it,  as  also 
two-thirds  of  the  net  proceeds  arising  from  the  gin ;  the  ex- 
pense of  working  to  be  joint  between  the  patentees  and  the 
ginner.  Finding,  however,  a  defect  in  the  law  under  which  their 
patent  was  obtained,  they  determined  to  sell  the  machines,  to- 
gether with  the  right  vested  in  them,  for  five  hundred  dollars, 
and  for  a  license  to  authorize  a  person  to  build  and  work  one  at 
his  own  expense  four  hundred.  Bvit  finding,  as  I  suppose,  that 
the  defect  of  the  law  was  generally  understood,  and  that  they 
could  get  no  redress  in  the  courts,  they  lowered  the  demand  to 
the  present  rate  of  two  hundred  dollars.  That  they  may  raise 
it  to  the  former  rates  is  certain,  and  that  they  will  do  it  unless 
public  interference  is  had  there  can  be  little  doubt.  I  am  in- 
formed from  other  sources  that  gins  have  been  erected  by  other 
persons  who  have  not  taken  Miller  and  Whitney's  gins  for  a 
model,  but  which  in  some  small  degree  resemble  it,  and  in  im- 
provement far  surpass  it,  for  it  has  been  asserted  that  Miller 
and  Whitney's  gin  did  not  on  trial  answer  the  intended  purpose. 
The  right  of  these  improvements,  however,  it  appears  from  the 
present  act,  is  merged  in  the  right  of  the  patentees,  who,  it  is 
supposed  in  the  honest  calculation,  will  make  by  it,  in  the  two 
states,  one  hundred  thousand  dollars.  Monopolies  are  odious 
in  all  countries,  but  more  particularly  so  in  a  government  like 
ours.  The  great  law  meteor,  Coke,  declared  them  contrary  to 
the  common  and  fundamental  law  of  England.  Their  tendency 
certainly  is  to  raise  the  price  of  the  article  from  the  exclusive 
privilege,  to  render  the  machine  or  article  worse  from  the  pre- 
vention of  competition  and  improvement,  and  to  impoverish 
poor  artificers  and  planters  who  are  forbidden  from  making, 
vending,  or  using  it  without  license  from  the  patentees,  or  in  case 
of  doing  so,  are  made  liable  to  penalties  in  a  court  of  law.  The 
Federal  Circuit  Covirt  docket,  it  is  said,  is  filled  with  these  ac- 
tions. I  do  not  doubt  the  power  of  Congress  to  grant  these  ex- 
clusive privileges,  for  the  Constitution  has  vested  them  with  it, 
but  in  all  cases  where  the'N'  become  injurious  to  the  community, 


Beginnings  of  Missionary  Work.  123 

thev  ought  to  be  suppressed,  or  the  patentees  paid  a  moderate 
compensation  for  the  discovery  from  the  government  granting 
the  patent.  The  celebrated  Dr.  Adam  Smith  observes  that  mo- 
nopolies are  supported  by  cruel  and  oppressive  laws.  Such  is 
the  operation  at  present  of  the  law  on  this  subject.  Its  weight 
lay  on  the  poor  industrious  mechanic  and  planter.  Congress, 
however,  did  not  intend  it  so,  for  when  the  first  law  on  this 
subject  was  passed  in  February,  1793,  a  few  individuals  only 
cultivated  cotton,  and  it  was  not  dreamt  of  as  about  to  become 
the  great  staple  of  the  two  Southern  States — a  staple,  too,  which, 
if  properly  encouraged,  must  take  the  decided  lead  of  any  other, 
bread  kind  excepted,  in  the  United  States.  The  steps  proper  to 
be  taken  to  remedy  this  public  grievance  you  will  judge  of; 
but  I  should  suppose  that  our  sister  state  of  South  Carolina,  be- 
ing so  much  interested,  would  cheerfully  join  Georgia  in  any 
proper  application  to  Congress  on  the  subject.  I  am  likewise 
of  the  opinion  that  the  states  of  North  Carolina  and  Tennessee 
must  be  so  far  interested  as  to  support  such  application.  If  you 
think  with  me,  I  recommend  communication  with  all  of  them. 

This  is  a  very  interesting  paper  from  several 
points  of  view.  It  shows  the  rapacity  with  which 
the  fortunate  inventors  of  the  day  preyed  upon  the 
necessities  of  the  planters.  It  exhibits  also  the  fa- 
cility with  which  the  strong  arm  of  the  govern- 
ment was  made  tributary  to  private  interests. 
There  can  be  no  question  that  the  inventor  has  a 
property  in  his  own  work,  but  when  public  inter- 
ests are  involved,  and  the  welfare  of  society  can 
be  advanced  by  a  liberal  reward  for  the  inventions 
of  men  of  genius,  it  is  a  cruel  wrong  for  monopo- 
lists to  extort  unreasonable  sums  for  the  use  of 
machines  in  which  all  the  people  are  interested. 
We  are  not  informed  as  to  the  measures  adopted 
by  the  States  mentioned  by  Gov.  Jackson,  but,  as 
he  became   a  Senator  in  Congress  a  few  months 


124  '^^^^  Gosfcl  among  the  Slaves. 

after  writing  his  address,  we  presume  there  must 
have  been  a  compromise,  one   by  which  the   in- 
ventor received  a  just  reward  and  the  people  were 
allowed  the  use  of  a  necessary  invention. 
We  return  to  the  thread  of  our  histor^^ 
"  The  Methodist  itinerants,  having  their  hearts 
aglow  with  the   pure  missionary  fire,  preached  to 
all  alike.     '  Christ  came  into  the  world  to  die  for 
evciy  sinner  '  were  the  broad   and  liberal  words 
emblazoned  upon  their  shields.     Everywhere  that 
Methodism  went,  it  went  in  that  spirit.     It  was  the 
religion  for  the  rich  and  the  poor,  for  the  black- 
and  the  white,  for  master  and  slave;  in  short,  for 
all.     It  was  a  noticeable  fact  that  wherever  the  mas- 
ter obtained  this  religion,  really  and  truly  obtained 
it,  he  was  anxious  also  for  it  to  be  made  known 
to  those  in  bondage  under  him.     But  sometimes, 
through  influences  or  other  irritating  causes,  there 
were  exceptions  to  this  rule.     But  these  were  rare. 
And  there  were  many,  very  many,  who,  being  bit- 
terly opposed  to  this  religion  for  themselves,  were 
still  more  bitterly  against  its  introduction  among 
their  servants. 

"But  many  Christian  masters,  in  the  face  of 
public  opinion,  had  the  courage  and  the  will  to 
place  in  the  way  of  their  servants  the  means  of 
their  soul's  salvation.  Noticeably  among  these 
was  Henry  Dorsey  Gough.  Soon  after  the  intro- 
duction of  Methodism  into  this  country,  he  became 
a  convert  and  built  '  Perry  Hall,'  his  elegant  res- 
idence, twelve  miles  from  the  city  of  Baltimore, 


Beginnings  of  Missionary  Work.  125 

and  a  commodious  chapel,  which  was  designated 
as  '  the  first  Methodist  church  in  America  that  had 
a  bell.'  This  bell  rung  every  evening,  summoning 
his  household  and  his  servants  to  family  worship. 
These  slaves  were  nearly  one  hundred  in  number. 
They  filled  the  body  of  the  chapel.  The  circuit 
preachers  preached  here  regularly  twice  a  month, 
and  the  local  preachers  every  Sunday.  Often 
members  of  the  Baltimore  bar,  the  very  elite  of 
the  state  of  Maryland,  beautiful,  aristocratic  wom- 
en, and  gay  and  handsome  men,  on  a  visit  to  the 
family,  assembled  in  this  chapel.  Among  them 
the  slaves  of  the  household  always  had  their  place. 
They  were  never  excluded  on  any  occasion.  The 
hymns  were  nearly  always  raised  by  these  colored 
servants,  and  often  they  were  called  on  to  pray,  to 
which  prayers  the  whites  gave  the  utmost  atten- 
tion, many  profiting  thereby. 

"  Gough's  own  conversion,  through  hearing  his 
slaves  praying  in  their  quarters  on  the  plantation, 
is  familiar  to  many  Methodist  readers.  Even  be- 
fore this  chapel  was  built  and  these  noble  efforts 
put  forth  in  their  behalf  by  their  owner,  Metho- 
dism had  reached  the  slaves  of  this  plantation. 
And  it  came  in  such  a  gladdening  form  that  Henry 
Gough,  on  hearing  them  singing  and  pra3'ing, 
could  not  refrain  from  exclaiming:  '  How  much 
more  blest  are  they  than  I !  ' 

"  Other  masters  followed  the  example  of  Henry 
Dorsey  Gough  in  having  their  servants  present 
when  the  preacher  came  around  on  his  appoint- 


126  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

ment.  Many  of  these  slaves  were  happily  con- 
verted, and  died  a  Christian  death.  Others  lived 
to  bear  glorious  witness  of  the  power  of  the  gospel 
of  Jesus  Christ  to  reach  and  cheer  every  condition 
of  life. 

"In  the  great  revival  that  spread  through  Vir- 
ginia in  1775-76,  we  have  constant  mention  of 
blacks  being  in  the  congregations.  Shadford, 
Lee,  and  Rankin  often  had  as  many  as  from  two 
to  three  hundred  blacks  to  hear  them,  filHng  up 
the  doors  and  windows  and  vacant  spaces  about 
the  walls.  Many  affecting  scenes  occurred  among 
them.  Rankin  gives  this  note  in  his  account  of 
one  of  these  scenes:  'Hundred  of  negroes  were 
there  with  the  tears  streaming  down  their  cheeks.' 
Sometimes  their  cries  for  mercy,  out  of  the  great 
depths  of  the  darkness  that  ingulfed  them,  were 
heartrending.  And  all  praise  to  these  noble- 
hearted  Methodist  itinerants  who  knew  neither 
race  nor  condition  in  their  efforts  of  evangeliza- 
tion. Through  them  many  of  these  poor  Africans 
were  brought  to  the  redeeming  knowledge  of  liffj 
through  Christ  Jesus. 

"One  of  the  most  useful,  and  consequently  one 
of  the  most  famous,  of  the  early  Methodist  preach- 
ers was  '  Black  Harry.'  When  Dr.  Thomas  Coke, 
the  newly  ordained  bishop  of  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Church,  landed  in  America,  he  found  in  As- 
bury's  servant  an  African  of  remarkable  gifts. 
This  was  Harry  Hosier,  or  as  he  was  more  famil- 
iarly known,  '  Black  Harry.'     Harry  could  neither 


Beginn/iigs  of  Missionary  JVor/c.  127 

read  nor  write,  but  he  was  one  of  the  most  power- 
ful exhorters,  white  or  black,  then  on  the  conti- 
nent, and  was  taken  along  by  Asbury  in  his  jour- 
neys principally  to  preach  to  the  blacks.  Harry 
was  not  only  gifted,  but  truly  pious,  and  through 
a  long  and  eventful  life  accomplished  untold  good 
to  his  race. 

"  Harry  was  small  in  stature,  coal  black,  and 
with  eyes  of  remarkable  brilliance  and  intelli- 
gence. He  had  a  quick  mind,  a  most  retentive 
memory,  and  such  an  eloquent  flow  of  words, 
which  he  could  soon  put  into  almost  faultless  Eng- 
lish, that  he  was  pronounced  by  many  'the  great- 
est orator  in  America.'  Nor  was  this  at  all  unde- 
served. He  traveled  in  turn  with  Asbury,  Coke, 
Whatcoat,  Garrettson,  Jesse  Lee,  and  other  dis- 
tinguished Methodist  preachers,  to  each  of  whom 
he  acted  as  'driver,'  but  'excelling  them  all  in 
popularity  as  a  preacher.'  The  bishops  were 
proud  of  Harry,  and  brought  him  out  on  every  oc- 
casion they  could,  not  only  among  the  blacks,  but 
also  in  the  congregations  of  the  whites.  When 
sick  or  disabled,  they  would  unhesitatingly  trust 
their  pulpit  to  Harry,  without  a  single  fear  of  his 
disappointing  the  people.  Asbury  was  fond  of 
openly  declaring  that  the  best  way  he  knew  to 
obtain  a  large  congregation  was  to  announce  that 
'  Black  Harry '  would  preach,  as  that  never  failed 
to  bring  a  far  more  numerous  concourse  than  if 
the  announcement  had  been  made  for  himself. 

"It  is  related  that  on  one  occasion  in  Wilming- 


128  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

ton,  Del.,  where  Methodism  was  so  long  unpopu- 
lar, a  number  of  the  citizens  who  had  not  been  in 
the  habit  of  attending  the  Methodist  meetings 
came  together  out  of  curiosity  to  hear  Bishop  As- 
bury.  The  chapel  was  so  full  that  they  could  not 
effect  an  entrance,  and  so  were  forced  to  remain 
outside.  Here  they  stood  listening  as  they  sup- 
posed to  Bishop  Asbury,  but  in  reality  to  '  Black 
Harry.'  They  were  so  much  pleased  that  they 
exclaimed  in  honest  praise:  'If  all  Methodist 
preachers  can  preach  like  the  bishop,  we  should 
like  to  be  constant  hearers.'  Great  was  their  sur- 
prise to  learn  that  it  was  not  the  bishop,  but  his 
servant,  '  Black  Harry.'  Instead  of  decreasing 
their  estimation  of  the  bishop,  however,  they  only 
raised  it  the  higher.  'For,'  said  they,  '  if  such  be 
the  servant,  what  must  the  master  be?  ' 

"  It  was  no  wonder  that  such  extraordinary  pop- 
ularity should,  for  a  time,  have  turned  poor  Har- 
ry's head.  Many  a  stronger  one  could  not  have 
withstood  the  alluring  excitement  connected  with 
it.  Harry  for  3^ears  bravely  met  the  temptations 
aroused  by  his  great  popularity,  but  in  one  evil 
moment  fell  through  a  glass  of  wine  temptingly 
proffered  him.  However,  he  proved  the  real  stuff 
of  which  he  was  made  when  he  showed  the  moral 
courage  to  cut  himself  loose  from  the  fetters.  He 
withdrew  to  himself  and  spent  the  solitary  watches 
of  the  night  under  a  tree  wrestling  in  prayer  until 
victory  came.  Like  a  true  soldier  Harry  remained 
faithful  to  the  end.     He  died  about  the  year  1810, 


Beginnings  of  Missionary  Woi-k.  129 

in  Philadelphia,  a  glorious  and  triumphant  death, 
and  was  borne  to  the  grave  by  a  great  procession 
of  white  and  black  admirers,  who  buried  him  as  a 
hero  once  overcome  but  finally  victorious. 

"  'Black  Harry  Hosier'  must  not  be  confounded 
with  '  Black  Harry  of  St.  Eustatius,'  who  occu- 
pied so  enviable  a  place  in  the  story  of  the  found- 
ing of  Methodism  in  the  West  India  Islands. 

"  Two  years  after  the  meeting  of  Coke  and 
'  Black  Harry  Hosier  '  witnessed  the  rather  ro- 
mantic meeting  with  the  other  'Black  Harry;' 
for  it  was  in  that  year  (1786)  that  Coke,  '  driven 
by  the  winds  of  heaven'  far  out  of  his  course, 
found  a  landing  place  on  one  of  the  many  island 
worlds  of  the  West  Indies.  This  led  to  the  found- 
ing of  Wesleyan  Missions  among  the  blacks  of 
these  islands,  and  the  putting  into  active  force  of 
an  agency  that  contributed  directly  to  the  moral 
and  mental  improvement  of  the  West  Indian  ne- 
groes. 

"  In  the  same  3'^ear  that  witnessed  the  founding 
of  the  Wesleyan  Missions  to  the  slaves  of  the  West 
India  Islands,  Freeborn  Garrettson,  itinerating  in 
the  bleak  wilds  of  Novo  Scotia,  found  there  a  little 
society  of  colored  Methodists.  They  were  refu- 
gee slaves  from  the  United  States,  who,  without 
the  direction  and  aid  of  white  pastors,  had  organ- 
ized themselves  into  a  Church.  Garrettson  formed 
sixty  of  them  into  a  class,  baptized  nineteen,  and 
administered  the  Lord's  Supper  to  about  forty. 
These  African  negroes  to  whom  Garrettson  came 
9 


130  The  Gosfcl  among  the  Slaves. 

in  the  leadings  of  providence  were  to  be  the  found- 
ers of  Methodism  in  Sierra  Leone,  and  of  the 
whole  scheme  of  Methodist  evangelization  in  Af- 
rica.* 

"At  the  Conference  of  1787  the  first  decisive 
step  toward  the  evangelization  of  the  slaves  was 
taken.  In  the  rules  for  this  year  we  find  the  fol- 
lowing question  and  answer  recorded:  '  What  di- 
rection shall  we  give  for  the  promotion  of  the  spir- 
itual welfare  of  the  colored  people?'  We  conjure 
all  our  ministers  and  preachers  by  the  love  of  God 
and  the  salvation  of  souls,  and  do  require  them  by 
all  the  authority  that  is  invested  in  us  to  leave 
nothing  undone  for  the  spiritual  benefit  and  salva- 
tion of  them  within  their  respective  circuits  and 
districts,  and  for  this  purpose  to  embrace  this  op- 
portunity of  inquiring  into  the  state  of  their  souls, 
and  to  unite  in  society  those  who  appear  to  have 
a  real  desire  of  fleeing  the  wrath  to  come,  to  meet 
such  in  class  and  to  exercise  the  whole  Methodist 
Discipline  among  them.' 

"At  this  time  there  were  reported  3,893  mem- 
bers in  the  various  societies,  extending  from  New 
England  to  South  Carolina.  The  Methodist  itin- 
erants everywhere  endeavored  faithfully  to  follow 
these  injunctions,  and  the  result  was  a  gratifying 
change  in  the  spiritual  condition  of  many  a  poor 
African  throughout  the  various  territories  traveled. 
And  it  is  a  fact  worthy  of  notice  that  during  the 
succeeding  years  the   numbers  in  societies  were 

*  Stevens's  "  History  of  Methodism." 


Beginnings  of  Alissionary  Work.  131 

nearly  doubled.  Wherever  the  banner  of  Metho- 
dism went  upborne  by  these  sturdy  hands,  it  car- 
ried life  and  light  to  all ;  to  the  master  in  his  lux- 
uriously furnished  home,  to  the  poor  slave  in  his 
humble  cabin. 

"  In  that  same  year  (1787)  the  Cumberland 
Street  Methodist  Church,  in  Charleston,  S.  C, 
was  finished,  with  galleries  for  the  negroes.  At 
that  time  it  had  a  colored  membership  of  sixty-five. 
Other  Churches  followed  this  example,  until  soon 
it  was  a  common  sight  to  see  white  and  black  meet- 
ing together  as  one  congregation. 

"A  few  years  after  thi-s  Asbury,  visiting  Charles- 
ton, was  much  surprised  at  the  religious  spirit  pre- 
vailing among  the  blacks.  Indeed,  he  expressed 
himself  as  having  stronger  hopes  of  their  steady 
growth  in  religion  than  of  the  whites,  for  Charles- 
ton was  at  that  time  such  a  gay  and  careless  city 
that  the  good  bishop  was  shocked  by  the  wicked- 
ness abounding  on  every  hand.  He  writes;  '  Re- 
ligion is  reviving  here  among  the  Africans.  These 
are  poor;  these  are  the  people  we  are  more  imme- 
diately called  to  preach  to.' 

"Asbury  devoted  special  attention  to  these  ne- 
groes, and  w^hile  in  Charleston  assembled  them 
every  morning  at  6  o'clock  for  instruction  and 
prayer.  Many  touching  scenes  occurred,  which, 
to  his  zealous  heart,  were  like  the  fresh,  sweet 
oasis  in  the  desert.  Others,  again,  thrilled  him 
with  the  keenest  pain,  and  made  him,  like  John 
Wesley,  take  unto  himself  the  undying  resolve  to 


132  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

know  neither  rest  nor  cessation  of  zeal  till  poor 
Ethiopia  lifted  up  her  darkened  eyes  in  glad  rec- 
ognition of  a  Saviour  found, 

"  They  were  so  grateful  to  him  that  they  were 
constantly  bringing  him  little  presents,  which  they 
continued  to  press  upon  him,  despite  his  generous 
refusal,  seeming  much  hurt  at  this  refusal,  which 
they  did  not  understand.  One  black  woman,  sixty 
years  of  age,  who  supported  herself  by  picking 
oakum — being  free,  it  is  supposed — brought  him  a 
French  crown,  and  insisted  on  his  taking  it.  'But 
no,'  he  declares,  '  although  I  have  not  three  dollars 
to  travel  two  thousand  miles,  I  will  not  take  money 
from  the  poor.' 

"There  was  always  something  peculiarly  touch- 
ing in  the  manner  in  which  these  negroes  pressed 
their  little  gifts  upon  their  preacher.  It  seemed  as 
if  they  could  not  be  grateful  enough  to  him  who 
had  come  to  open  the  darkened  chambers  of  their 
soul  to  the  warm,  sweet  light  of  the  gospel.  Revs. 
Samuel  Leard,  A.  M.  Chreitzberg,  W.  W.  Mood, 
and  other  former  missionaries  to  the  slaves,  in 
writing  of  their  labors  in  this  connection,  tell  many 
incidents  of  the  slaves  pressing  up  about  them 
after  the  preaching,  with  little  offerings  of  eggs, 
pretty  bird  feathers,  shells,  or  whatever  else  their 
humble  resources  could  produce.  There  was  al- 
ways something  delicate  and  graceful,  as  well  as 
grateful,  in  their  manner  of  offering  these  gifts. 
Sometimes  it  was:  '  Here  is  somethin'  for  my  mis- 
sionary.'    But  often  it  was:    'Here  is  somethin' 


Beginnings  of  Missionary  Wo7'k.  133 

for   my   missionary's    lillie    [little]    girl   or   boy,' 
whichever  the  case  might  be. 

"In  the  year  1796-97,  in  the  great  revival  that 
spread  from  Maine  to  Tennessee  and  from  Geor- 
gia to  Canada,  many  negroes  were  converted  and 
brought  into  the  folds  of  the  Church.  There  were 
prayer  meetings  in  private  houses  and  on  planta- 
tions, very  few  of  which  were  not  attended  by  the 
slaves.  The  quickening  spirit  extended.  White 
and  black  were  alike  brought  under  its  influence. 
In  the  evenings  the  chapels  and  the  meetings  in 
the  private  houses  were  crowded,  while  by  day 
the  harvest  fields  and  workshops  resounded  with 
the  Methodist  shouts  and  hymns. 

"  It  was  about  this  time  that  the  first  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  exclusively  for  the  negroes,  was 
organized  in  New  York  City.  In  1800  this  soci- 
ety built  its  first  house  of  worship,  and  called  it 
Zion.  Though  in  organization  it  was  separate 
from  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  with  which 
its  members  had  been  previously  connected,  its 
ministers  and  pastoral  oversight  were  supplied 
from  the  parent  Church  for  about  twenty  years.* 

"The  revival  that  broke  forth  with  such  power 
in  1796-97  continued  to  spread.  The  excitement 
connected  with  it  was  greatly  increased  through 
the  breaking  out  at  about  the  beginning  of  the 
present  century  of  the  yellow  fever  scourge  in 
many  parts  of  the  Atlantic  coast.  The  scourge 
spread  with  frightful  rapidity;  hundreds,  both 
*  Methodist  Centennial  Year  Book. 


134  '^''■^  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

white  and  black,  being  cut  off.  News  came  from 
every  direction  of  the  great  increase  in  the  num- 
bers joining  the  Methodist  societies.  More  than 
a  thousand  colored  members  were  added  durinir 
the  year  1800,  and  more  than  two  thousand  m 
1801. 

"In  1801  Senator  Bassett,  writing  from  Dover, 
Del.,  says:  'One  hundred  and  thirty,  white  and 
black,  joined  the  society  here  yesterday.  Many 
more  went  away  sick  and  sore,'  For  a  week  they 
had  been  holding  daily  preaching  and  sunrise 
prayer  meetings.  The  multitude  was  often  esti- 
mated at  from  seven  to  eight  thousand  a  day.  So 
great  did  the  crowds  finally  become  that  three 
preachers  had  to  be  employed  at  once  to  preach 
to  them.  On  Sunday  the  sacrament  was  adminis- 
tered to  from  twelve  to  fifteen  hundred,  black  and 
white.  Wilson  Lee  wrote  of  the  glorious  work  in 
Maryland  and  Virginia,  during  which  scores  of 
slaves  were  brought  to  a  knowledge  of  redeeming 
mercy  through  Christ  Jesus. 

"  Thomas  Ware,  on  his  work  in  the  Philadela- 
phia  division,  which  extended  from  Wilmington, 
Del.,  to  Seneca  Lake,  N.  Y.,  spoke  of  a  glori- 
ous revival  flame  that  had  swept  from  length  to 
breadth  of  his  territory.  This  religious  excite- 
ment embraced  all  classes — governors,  judges, 
lawyers,  statesmen,  old  and  young,  rich  and  poor, 
*  including  many  of  the  African  race.' 

"  Similar  reports  continued  to  come  from  all 
the   Churches,   north   and   south,  east  and  west, 


Beginnings  of  Missionary  Work.  135 

down  to  1805.  At  that  time  there  were  24,316 
colored  members  in  the  bounds  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  an  increase  of  over  ten  thou- 
sand in  five  years." 

The  year  1792-93  was  noted  for  the  secession 
of  James  O'Kelly  and  his  followers  because  the 
General  Conference  refused  to  incorporate  a  rad- 
ical change  in  the  economy  of  the  Church.  It  is 
a  little  remarkable  that  the  colored  membership 
should  exhibit  the  close  relations  of  the  two  races 
in  this  discussion.  When  the  white  membership 
began  to  decrease,  the  colored  membership  like- 
wise decreased,  and  when  the  white  membership 
recovered  its  losses  the  colored  membership  fol- 
lowed the  example.  In  1793  the  white  member- 
ship was  51,416,  and  this  aggregate  was  not 
reached  again  until  the  year  1800,  when  the  fig- 
ures were  51,442.  Notwithstanding  the  great  re- 
vivals in  1796,  the  white  membership  went  down 
to  45,384,  and  the  colored  to  11,280,  the  lowest 
figures  since  1790.  In  1793  the  colored  member- 
ship was  16,227,  and  these  figures  were  not  reached 
again  until  1802,  when  a  large  increase  brought 
the  colored  membership  up  to  18,659. 


CHAPTER  XI. 
Mission  Work  (Continued). 

IN  1800  the  South  Carolina  Conference  was  com- 
posed of  Georgia,  South  Carohna,  and  a  small 
part  of  North  Carolina,  forming  but  one  ecclesi- 
astical district,  and  presided  over  by  Benjamin 
Blanton.  In  these  boundaries  there  are  now  sev- 
eral large  and  flourishing  Annual  Conferences, 
which  are  speaking  proofs  of  the  rapid  growth 
of  Methodism.  The  Conferences  then  had  16 
charges,  32  preachers,  with  a  white  membership 
of  4,802,  and  a  colored  membership  of  1,535. 

"  In  1801  this  Conference  was  divided  into  two 
districts:  the  Georgia,  with  Stith  Mead  as  presid- 
ing elder;  and  the  South  Carolina,  with  James 
Jenkins  as  presiding  elder.  It  so  continued  until 
1830,  when  Georgia  was  made  a  separate  Confer- 
ence. 

"  In  1808  there  appeared  in  the  South  Carolina 
Conference  a  man  whose  name  was  destined  to 
become  identified  with  the  work  of  Missions  to 
the  blacks,  and  whose  monument  was  to  bear  a 
prouder  epitaph  than  that  of  the  greatest  warrior 
or  statesman  who  ever  lived.  This  was  William 
Capers,  afterward  a  bishop  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church,  South,  who,  when  a  youth  of  eight- 
een was  sent  for  his  first  ministerial  work  to  the 
(136) 


Mission   Work.  137 

Wateree  Circuit.  This  charge  was  what  might  be 
termed  a  broad  range,  for  in  order  to  fill  his  twen- 
ty-four appointments  once  in  every  four  weeks  the 
young  preacher  had  to  ride  a  distance  of  three 
hundred  miles.  He  had  a  membership  of  498 
whites,  and  124  colored.  From  the  first  he  took 
a  deep  interest  in  the  latter,  being  as  care- 
ful and  conscientious  in  his  ministerial  duties  to 
them  as  to  the  whites.  The  superstitious  tenden- 
cies of  many  of  them  pained  him  deeply,  while  on 
the  other  hand  his  heart  was  greatly  rejoiced  at 
the  pure  religious  spirit  and  understanding  of  oth- 
ers. No  doubt  on  this  circuit  were  sown  the  seeds 
of  a  purpose  that  in  the  heart  of  the  young  preach- 
er were  to  ripen  into  rich  fruition,  and  bring  bless- 
ings to  thousands  of  this  race. 

"  In  1809  the  first  special  efforts  to  evangelize 
the  slaves  were  made  by  the  South  Carolina  Con- 
ference. James  H.  Mallard  was  sent  as  a  mission- 
ary to  the  blacks  '  from  Ashley  to  Savannah  River,' 
and  James  E.  Glenn  as  missionary  to  those  '  from 
Santee  to  Cooper.'  There  were  so  many  obsta- 
cles in  the  way,  however,  that  after  awhile  the 
work  was  given  up.  But  preaching  to  the  negroes 
in  the  white  charges,  and  taking  them  in  as  mem- 
bers and  allowing  them  all  the  rights  of  the  Church 
still  went  on  zealously. 

"  In  this  year  (1810)  the  South  Carolina  Con- 
ference reported  8,202  colored  members,  an  in- 
crease of  nearly  two  thousand  from  the  preceding 
year.     Of  these,  1,650  were  in  the  city  of  Charles- 


138  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

ton.  Virginia  reported  a  colored  membership  of 
6,150.  It  is  interesting  to  note  the  steady  increase 
of  the  colored  membership  in  the  South  Carolina 
Conference  from  1800  to  1818:  from  one  to  three 
thousand  yearly.  But  in  the  year  1818  occurred 
the  noted  schism  in  Charleston  by  which  over  five 
thousand  negroes  withdrew  from  the  Church. 
From  1810,  when  the  colored  members  numbered 
8,208,  to  1817,  their  numbers  increased  to  16,789, 
thus  in  seven  years  more  than  doubling  their  num- 
bers— a  ratio  of  increase  of  104.95  per  cent.  Al- 
though so  large  a  number  withdrew  in  1818,  still 
there  began  to  be  a  slow  but  steady  increase  in 
the  numbers  of  those  added  up  to  1828,  when  the 
first  decisive  measures  for  special  missions  to  the 
slaves  were  inaugurated  by  the  South  Carolina 
Conference,  at  which  time  there  were  nearly  nine- 
teen thousand  of  them  in  the  communion  of  that 
Conference. 

"  In  1810  William  Capers,  sent  to  serve  the 
charge  in  Fayetteville,  N.  C,  found  there  a  most 
remarkable  colored  man,  who,  in  the  face  of  much 
opposition  and  no  little  persecution,  had  accom- 
plished a  work  that  deserves  to  be  kept  in  undy- 
ing record.  This  work  had  been  not  only  to  his 
own  race,  but  also  to  many  whites.  This  man 
was  Henry  Evans,  whose  name  Methodist  histo- 
rians will  never  let  sink  into  oblivion.  But  we 
will  let  Mr.  Capers  tell  the  story  in  his  own  words: 

The  most  remarkable  man  in  Fayetteville,  N.  C,  when  I 
went  there,  and  who  died  during  my  stay,  was  a  negro  by  the 


Mission  Work.  139 

name  of  Henrj  Evans.  I  saj  the  most  remarkable  in  a  view  of 
his  class,  and  I  call  him  negro  with  unfeigned  respect.  He  was 
a  negro — that  is,  he  was  of  that  race,  without  any  admixture  of 
another.  The  name  simply  designates  the  race,  and  it  is  vul- 
gar to  regard  it  with  opprobrium. 

I  have  known  and  loved  and  honored  not  a  few  negroes  in 
my  life,  who  were  probably  as  pure  of  heart  as  Evans,  or  any- 
body else.  Such  were  my  old  friends  Castile  Selby  and  John 
Boquet,  of  Charleston;  Will  Campbell  and  Harry  Merrick,  of 
Wilmington;  York  Cohen,  of  Savannah;  and  others  I  might 
name.  These  I  might  call  remarkable  for  their  goodness.  But 
I  use  the  word  in  a  broader  sense  for  Henry  Evans,  who  was 
confessedly  the  father  of  the  Methodist  Church,  white  and 
black,  in  Fayetteville,  and  the  best  preacher  of  his  time  in  that 
quarter;  and  who  was  so  remarkable  as  to  have  become  the 
greatest  curiosity  of  the  town,  insomuch  that  distinguished  vis- 
itors hardly  felt  that  they  might  pass  a  Sunday  in  Fayetteville 
without  hearing  him  preach. 

He  eluded  no  one  in  private,  but  sought  opportunities  to  ex- 
plain himself;  avowed  the  purity  of  his  intentions,  and  even 
begged  to  be  subjected  to  the  scrutiny  of  any  surveillance  that 
might  be  thought  proper  to  prove  his  inoffensiveness;  any- 
thing, so  that  he  might  be  allowed  to  preach.  Happily  for  him 
and  the  cause  of  religion,  his  honest  countenance  and  earnest 
pleadings  were  soon  powerfully  seconded  by  the  fruits  of  his 
labors. 

One  after  another  began  to  suspect  their  servants  of  attend- 
ing his  preaching,  not  because  they  were  made  worse,  but  won- 
derfully better.  The  effect  on  the  public  morals  of  the  ne- 
groes, too,  began  to  be  seen,  particularly  as  regarded  their  hab- 
its on  Sunday  and  drunkenness.  And  it  was  not  long  before 
the  mob  was  called  off  by  a  change  in  the  current  of  opinion, 
and  Evans  was  allowed  to  preach  in  town. 

At  that  time  there  was  not  a  single  church  edifice  in  Fay- 
etteville, and  but  one  congregation  (Presbyterian),  who  wor- 
shiped in  what  Avas  called  the  Statehouse,  under  which  was 
the  market;  and  it  was  plainly  Evans  or  nobody  to  preach  to 
the  negroes. 

Now,  too,  of  the  mistresses  there  were  not  a  few  and  some  of 
the  masters  who  were  brought  to  think  that  the  preaching  which 


140  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

had  proved  so  beneficial  to  their  servants  might  be  good  for  them 
also,  and  the  famous  negro  preacher  had  some  whites  as  well 
as  blacks  to  hear  him.  Among  others,  and  who  were  the  first 
fruits,  were  mj  old  friends,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lumsden,  Mrs.  Bow- 
en  (for  many  jears  Preceptress  of  the  Female  Academy),  Mrs. 
Malsby,  and,  I  think,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Blake. 

From  these  the  gracious  influence  spread  to  others,  and  a 
meetinghouse  was  built.  It  was  a  frame  of  wood,  weather- 
boarded  only  on  the  outside,  without  plastering,  and  about  fifty 
feet  long  by  thii'ty  wide.  Seats,  distinctly  separated,  were  at 
first  appropriated  to  the  whites  near  the  pulpit.  But  Evans 
had  already  become  famous,  and  these  seats  were  insufficient. 
Indeed,  the  negroes  seemed  likely  to  lose  their  preacher,  negro 
though  he  was ;  while  the  whites,  crowded  out  of  their  appro- 
priate seats,  took  possession  of  those  in  the  rear. 

Meanwhile  Evans  had  represented  to  the  preacher  of  Bladen 
Circuit  how  things  were  going,  and  induced  him  to  take  his 
meetinghouse  into  the  circuit,  and  constitute  a  Church  there. 
And  now  there  was  po  longer  room  for  the  negroes  in  the 
house  when  Evans  preached;  and  for  the  accommodation  of 
both  classes  the  weatherboards  were  knocked  off  and  sheds 
were  added  to  the  house  on  either  side ;  the  whites  occupying 
the  whole  of  the  original  building  and  the  negroes  those  sheds 
as  a  part  of  the  same  house.  Evans's  dwelling  was  a  shed  at 
the  pulpit  end  of  the  church.  And  that  was  the  identical  state 
of  the  case  when  I  was  pastor. 

Often  was  I  in  that  shed,  and  much  to  my  edification.  I 
have  known  not  many  preachers  who  appeared  more  convers- 
ant with  scripture  than  Evans,  or  whose  conversation  was 
more  instructive  as  to  the  things  of  God.  He  seemed  always 
deeply  impressed  with  the  responsibility  of  his  position,  and 
not  even  our  old  friend  Castile  was  more  remarkable  for  his 
humble  and  deferential  deportment  toward  the  whites  than 
E\'ans.  Nor  would  he  allow  any  partiality  of  his  friends  to 
induce  him  to  vary  in  the  least  degree  the  line  of  conduct  or 
bearing  which  he  had  prescribed  to  himself  in  this  respect: 
never  speaking  to  a  white  man  but  with  his  hat  under  his  arm, 
never  allowing  himself  to  be  seated  in  their  houses,  and  even 
confining  himself  to  the  kind  and  manner  of  dress  proper  for 
negroes  in  general,  except  his  plain  black  coat  for  the  pulpit. 


Mission   Work.  141 

"  The  whites  are  kind  to  me  and  come  to  hear  mc  preach,"  he 
would  saj,  "  but  I  belong  to  my  own  sort,  and  must  not  spoil 
them."  And  yet  Henry  Evans  was  a  Boanerges,  and  in  his 
duty  feared  not  the  face  of  man. 

I  have  said  that  he  died  during  my  stay  in  Fayetteville  this 
year  (1810).  The  death  of  such  a  man  could  not  but  be  tri- 
umphant, and  his  was  distinguishingly  so.  I  did  not  witness  it, 
but  was  with  him  before  he  died,  and  as  he  appeared  to  me  tri- 
umph should  express  but  partially  the  character  of  his  feelings, 
as  the  word  imports  exultation  at  victory,  or  at  most  the  vic- 
tory and  exultation  together.  It  seemed  to  me  as  if  the  victory 
he  had  won  was  no  longer  an  object,  but  rather  as  if  his  spirit, 
past  the  contemplation  of  triumph  on  earth,  were  already  in 
communion  with  heaven.  Yet  his  last  breath  was  drawn  in 
the  act  of  pronouncing  i  Corinthians  xv.  57:  "Thanks  be  to 
God,  which  giveth  us  the  victory  through  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ." 

It  was  my  practice  to  hold  a  meeting  with  the  blacks  in  the 
church  directly  after  morning  preaching  every  Sunday.  And 
on  the  Sunday  before  his  death,  during  this  meeting,  the  little 
door  between  his  humble  shed  and  the  chancel  where  I  stood 
was  opened  and  the  dying  man  entered  for  a  last  farewell  to  his 
people.  He  was  almost  too  feeble  to  stand  at  all,  but,  support- 
ing himself  bv  the  railing  of  the  chancel,  he  said:  "  I  have  come 
to  say  my  last  to  you.  It  is  -this:  None  but  Christ.  Three 
times  I  have  had  my  life  in  jeopardy  for  preaching  the  gospel 
to  you.  Three  times  I  have  broken  the  ice  on  the  edge  of  the 
water  and  swam  across  the  Cape  Fear  to  preach  the  gospel  to 
you.  And  now,  if  in  my  last  hour  I  could  trust  to  that,  or  to 
anything  else  but  Christ  crucified,  for  my  salvation,  all  should 
be  lost,  and  my  soul  perish  forever."  A  noble  testimony!  wor- 
thy not  of  Evans  only,  but  of  St.  Paul.  His  funeral  at  the 
church  was  attended  by  a  greater  concourse  of  persons  than 
had  been  seen  on  any  funeral  occasion  before.  The  whole 
commvinity  appeared  to  mourn  his  death,  and  the  universal 
feeling  seemed  to  be  that  in  honoring  the  memory  of  Henry 
Evans  we  were  paying  a  tribute  to  virtue  and  religion.  He 
was  buried  under  the  chancel  of  the  church  of  which  he  had 
been  in  so  remarkable  a  manner  the  founder. 


142  The  Gospel  among'  the  Slaves. 

"It  is  perhaps  not  out  of  place  at  this  point  to 
make  mention  of  the  labors  of  Rev.  William  Mer- 
edith, who,  as  early  as  1784,  came  to  Wilmington, 
N.  C,  and  began  to  preach  there  the  doctrines  of 
Methodism.  His  first  congregations  were  com- 
posed solely  of  blacks,  and  he  found  a  noble  co- 
laborer  in  Rev.  Jesse  Jennett,  or  '  Father  Jennett,' 
as  he  was  known.  He  was  persecuted  on  all 
sides,  and  finally  thrown  into  prison;  but  through 
persecutions  and  fiery  trials  he  went  on  to  victory. 
His  church  was  burned;  the  voluntary  contribu- 
tions of  humble  but  faithful  negroes  built  another. 
That  was  the  beginning  of  Methodism  in  Wilming- 
ton. Thus  we  see  that  in  two  of  the  proudest 
cities  of  the  Old  North  State,  Methodism,  so  great 
a  power  now,  was  first  implanted  among  their 
humble  slave  population. 

"Persecutions  against  those  who  undertook  to 
preach  to  the  negroes  were  now  rife  in  every  di- 
rection. The  abolition  sentiment  had  taken  pos- 
session of  the  machinery  of  the  Church,  and  had 
brought  into  existence  the  bitterest  feelings  on 
both  sides.  The  Methodist  preachers  were  every- 
where looked  upon  as  sheep  in  wolves'  clothing, 
were  treated  accordingly,  and  in  many  instances 
roughly  handled.  In  Charleston  in  1801  occurred 
the  first  mob  raised  on  the  slavery  question,  wHen 
Rev.  George  Dougherty,  as  pure  and  good  a  man 
as  ever  lived,  was  dragged  to  a  pump  and  nearly 
drowned  with  the  water,  for  no  other  offense  than 
that  of  being  a  Methodist  preacher  and  preaching 


Alission  Work.  143 

to  the  negroes  and  the  whites.  The  Charleston 
congregations,  too,  came  in  for  much  of  this 
abuse,  not  only  because  they  were  of  the  despised 
sect  known  as  '  Methodists,'  but  because  they  al- 
lowed negroes  in  the  galleries  of  their  churches. 

"About  this  time  that  pure  and  fearless  man  of 
God,  the  Rev.  Samuel  Dunwoody,  was  preaching 
to  the  negroes  in  the  swamps  around  Charleston, 
by  the  light  of  the  moon,  for  fear  of  attracting  the 
attention  of  the  lawless  class  of  whites.  Here  he 
many  times  administered  the  holy  sacrament  of  the 
Church  as  though  they  were  '  things  the  daylight 
might  not  look  upon.'  He  is  said  to  have  re- 
mained all  night  in  the  woods  at  the  very  season 
when  the  dread  pestilence  was  abroad,  baptizing 
and  administering  the  Lord's  Supper  to  a  large 
concourse  of  blacks.  Fully  three  hundred  were 
baptized  on  this  one  night." 

No  apology  can  or  ought  to  be  made  for  the 
miscreants  who  resorted  to  violence  in  their  treat- 
ment of  the  Methodist  preachers,  not  because  they 
cared  for  the  slaves  or  their  masters,  but  because 
they  loved  deeds  of  violence.  But  the  truth  of 
history  requires  it  to  be  stated  that  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  had  assumed  the  position  of  an 
abolitionist  society.  At  the  very  beginning  of  our 
ofganization  the  subject  of  slavery  was  recognized 
as  a  fit  subject  for  Church  legislation,  and  the  at- 
tempt was  made  to  force  slaveholders  to  emanci- 
pate their  slaves  or  retire  from  the  Church.  The 
attempt  to  brand  slaveholding  as  a  crime,  an  of- 


144  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

fense  that  would  exclude  the  offender  from  the 
kingdom  of  heaven  failed,  but  it  was  not  for  lack 
of  diligent  efforts  on  the  part  of  Coke  and  Asbury, 
or  the  majority  of  the  traveling  preachers.  After 
reading  the  character  given  to  the  free  negroes  by 
statesmen  and  politicians,  no  one  can  wonder  at 
the  opposition  offered  to  emancipation  by  the  peo- 
ple of  the  South. 

It  was  precisely  the  question  best  calculated  to 
arouse  the  most  intense  feelings  of  bitterness 
among  the  holders  of  slaves  and  all  who  believed 
that  the  measure  would  fill  the  land  with  lazy  and 
idle  negroes,  whose  chief  subsistence  would  come 
from  the  barns  and  smokehouses  of  the  industri- 
ous whites. 

Dr.  Coke  was  indicted  as  an  incendiary  in  Vir- 
ginia, and  no  doubt,  from  his  point  of  view,  there 
was  no  disgrace  in  the  fact.  Yet  the  calm,  un- 
prejudiced mind  cannot  look  at  the  subject  from 
that  point  of  view.  He  was  interfering  with  a 
civil  institution,  lawfully  established,  and  a  stran- 
ger in  England  striving  to  overthrow  monarchy 
was  not  one  whit  more  guilty  of  impertinent  inter- 
ference with  the  laws  of  a  country  than  Dr.  Coke 
was  in  his  diatribes  against  slavery. 

The  prudent  observation  of  Bishop  Asbury 
caused  him  to  abate  his  zeal,  and  finally  to 
cease  all  public  effort  in  this  behalf,  for  he  saw 
how  disastrously  all  of  his  public  movements  had 
been.  But  it  was  difficult  to  convince  the  preach- 
ers that  they  were  not  called  to  destroy  the  institu- 


Mission  Work.  14S 

tion  of  slavery.  One  of  the  greatest  provocations 
offered  to  the  slaveholders  of  the  South  was  an  ad- 
dress issued  by  the  General  Conference  of  1800, 
and  published,  probably,  by  every  newspaper  in 
the  South.  This  address  confirmed  many  thou- 
sands of  the  people  in  the  belief  that  all  itinerant 
Methodist  preachers  were  abolition  emissaries 
and,  as  a  consequence,  promoters  of  insurrection 
and  rebellion  among  the  negroes. 

We  give  this  address  as  we  find  it  in  the  Louis- 
ville Gazette^  a  newspaper  published  in  Louisville, 
Ga.,  in  October,  1800: 

The  Address  of  the  General  Conference  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 

Church  to  All  Their  Brethren  and  Friends  in  the  United  States. 

We,  the  members  of  the  General  Conference  of  the  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  Church,  beg  leave  to  address  you  with  earnest- 
ness on  a  subject  of  the  first  importance. 

We  have  long  lamented  the  great  national  evil  of  negro  slav- 
ery which  has  existed  for  so  many  years,  and  does  exist  in  many 
of  these  United  States.  We  have  considered  it  as  repugnant  to 
the  inalienable  rights  of  mankind  and  to  the  very  essence  of 
civil  liberty,  but  more  especially  to  the  spirit  of  the  Christian 
religion. 

Yox  inconsistent  as  is  the  conduct  of  this  otherwise  free,  this 
independent  nation,  in  respect  to  the  slavery  of  the  negroes, 
when  considered  in  a  civil  and  political  view,  it  is  still  more  so 
when  examined  in  the  light  of  the  gospel.  For  the  whole  spirit 
of  the  New  Testament  militates  in  the  strongest  manner  against 
the  practice  of  slavery,  and  the  influence  of  the  gospel  wher- 
ever it  has  long  prevailed  (except  in  many  of  these  United  States) 
has  utterly  abolished  that  most  criminal  part  of  slavery,  the 
possessing  and  using  the  bodies  of  men  by  the  arbitrary  will, 
and  with  almost  uncontrollable  power. 

The  small  number  of  adventurers  from  Europe  who  visit  the 
West  Indies  for  the  sole  purpose  of  amassing  fortunes  are  hard- 
ly worth  our  notice,  any  farther  than  their  influence  reaches  for 
10 


146  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

the  enslaving  and  destroying  of  the  hnman  race.  Cnt  tliat  so 
large  a  proportion  of  the  inhabitants  of  this  country,  who  so 
truly  boast  of  the  liberty  they  enjoy,  and  are  so  justly  jealous  of 
that  inestimable  blessing,  should  continue  to  deprive  of  every 
trace  of  liberty  so  many  of  their  fellow-creatures  equally  capa- 
ble with  themselves  of  every  social  blessing  and  of  eternal  hap- 
piness is  an  inconsistency  which  is  scarcely  to  be  paralleled  in 
the  history  of  mankind. 

Influenced  by  these  views  and  feelings,  Ave  have  for  many 
years  restricted  ourselves  by  the  strongest  regulations  from 
partaking  of  the  "  accursed  thing,"  and  have  also  laid  some 
very  mild  and  tender  restrictions  on  our  Society  at  large.  But 
at  this  General  Conference  we  wished,  if  possible,  to  give  a 
blow  at  the  root  of  this  enormous  evil.  For  this  purpose  we 
naturally  weighed  every  regulation  which  could  be  adopted 
within  our  own  society.  All  seemed  to  be  insufficient.  We 
therefore  determined  at  least  to  rouse  up  all  our  influence  in 
order  to  hasten  to  the  utmost  of  our  power  the  universal  extir- 
pation of  this  crying  sin.  To  this  end  we  passed  the  following 
resolution: 

"That  the  Annual  Conferences  be  directed  to  draw  up  ad- 
dresses for  the  gradual  emancipation  of  the  slaves  to  the  legis- 
latures of  the  states  in  which  no  general  laws  have  been  passed 
for  that  purpose ;  that  these  addresses  urge  in  the  most  respect- 
ful but  pointed  manner  the  necessity  of  a  law  for  the  gradual 
emancipation  of  the  slaves;  that  proper  committees  be  appoint- 
ed out  of  the  most  respectable  of  our  friends  for  the  conducting 
of  the  business;  and  that  the  president  elders,  elders,  deacons, 
and  traveling  preachers  do  secure  as  many  proper  signatures 
as  possible  to  the  address,  and  give  all  the  assistance  in  their 
power  in  every  respect  to  aid  the  committees,  and  to  further 
this  blessed  undertaking.  And  that  this  be  continued  from 
year  to  j^ear  till  the  desired  end  be  fully  accomplished." 

What  now  remains,  dear  brethren,  but  that  you  coincide 
with  us  in  this  great  undertaking,  for  the  sake  of  God,  his 
Church,  and  his  holy  cause,  for  the  sake  of  your  counti'y,  and 
for  the  sake  of  the  miserable  and  oppressed.  Give  your  signa- 
tures to  the  addresses;  liand  them  for  signatures  to  all  your  ac- 
quaintances and  all  the  friends  of  liberty;  urge  the  justice,  the 
ability,  the  necessity  of  the  measure;  persevere  in  this  blessed 


Mission   Wo7-k.  147 

work,  and  the  Lord,  we  are  persuaded,  will  finally  crown  your 
endeavors  with  the  wished  for  success.  O  what  a  glorious 
country  would  be  ours  if  equal  liberty  were  everywhere  estab- 
lished, and  equal  liberty  everywhere  enjoyed! 

We  are  not  ignorant  that  several  of  the  Legislatures  of  these 
states  have  most  generously  stepped  forth  in  the  cause  of  liber- 
ty and  passed  laws  for  the  emancipation  of  the  slaves.  But 
many  of  the  members  of  our  society,  even  in  these  states,  may 
be  highly  serviceable  to  this  great  cause  by  using  their  influ- 
ence, by  writing  or  otherwise,  with  their  friends  in  other  states, 
whether  those  friends  be  Methodists  or  not. 

Come  then,  brethren,  let  us  join  hand  and  heart  together  in 
this  important  enterprise.  God  is  with  us,  and  will,  we  doubt 
not,  accompany  with  his  blessing  all  our  labors  of  love. 

We  could  write  to  you  a  volume  on  the  present  subject,  but 
we  know  that  in  general  you  have  already  weighed  it,  and  we 
have  great  confidence  that  your  utmost  assistance  will  not  be 
wanting,  and  we  promise  to  aid  vou  with  zeal  and  diligence. 

That  our  gracious  God  may  bless  you  with  all  the  riches  of 
his  grace,  and  that  we  may  all  meet  where  perfect  liberty  and 
perfect  love  shall  eternally  reign  is  the  ardent  prayer  of  your 
affectionate  brethren. 

Signed  in  behalf  and  by  order  of  the  General  Conference. 
Thomas  Coke,  \ 

Francis  Asbury,  C  Bishops. 

Richard  Whatcoat.  ) 

EzEKiEL  Cooper,  \ 

William  McKendree,  C  The  Committee. 

Jesse  Lee.  ) 

The  publication  of  such  a  pragmatic  document 
as  the  foregoing  was  well  calculated  to  destroy  the 
Methodist  Church  in  the  South.  At  a  later  period 
it  would  have  produced  such  a  result.  But  the 
fact  was  that  the  antislavery  sentiment  was  stron- 
ger at  the  South  before  the  Methodist  Church  be- 
gan to  meddle  with  the  subject  than  it  was  at  any 
subsequent  time.     The  effect  of  this  "address" 


148 


The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 


was  injurious  to  the  preachers,  to  Methodism,  and 
to  the  slaves  themselves. 

It  caused  every  Methodist  preacher  to  be  re- 
garded with  suspicion,  as  an  abolitionist,  and  the 
agent  of  an  abolition  propaganda.  Indiscreet  men, 
carrying  out  the  resolutions  of  the  Conference, 
brought  upon  themselves  the  deserved  condemna- 
tion of  the  public,  and  this  censure  naturally  ex- 
pressed itself  in  violence  by  the  lawless  elements 
of  society. 

We  have  in  this  document  a  reason  for  the  riot- 
ous conduct  of  many  of  these  persons  who  mal- 
treated Methodist  preachers  in  the  early  part  of 
the  century.  The  English  "  tough  "  thought  he 
was  showing  zeal  for  "the  Church"  when  he 
mobbed  Mr.  Wesley  and  his  preachers.  The 
Southern  "tough"  was  showing  his  zeal  for  the 
Southern  cause  when  he  helped  to  "duck"  a 
Methodist  preacher  who  could  be  nothing  but  an 
abolitionist  in  disguise. 

Colored  Members  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
Reported  in  the  Minutes  for  the  years  iy86  to  182^. 


Year. 

1786 

1787 


Members. 
.  ,  1 ,890 
.  .  31893 

I7«8 6,545 

1789 8,243 

1790 11,682 

1 791 12,884 

1792 13,871 

1793 16,227 

1794 13,814 

1795 12,170 

1796 11,280 


Year    Members 

1797 12,2X8 

1798 12.302 

1799 12,236 

1800 13,452 

180I 15,688 

1802 18,659 

1803 22,453 

1804 23,531 

1805 24,316 

1806 27,257 

1807 29,863 


Year.    Members 

1808 30,308 

1809 31,884 

1810 34,724 

1811 35,732 

1812 38,505 

1813 42,859 

1814 42,431 

1815 43,187 

1816 42,304 

1817 43,4" 

1818 39,150 


Year.    Members. 

1819 39,174 

1820 38,753 

1821 42,059 

1822 44,377 

1823 44,792 

1824 48,040 

1825 49,435 

1826 51,084 

1827 53,542 

1828 59,056 

1829 62,814 


CHAPTER  XII. 
The  Gospel  on  the  Plantation. 

THE  regular  organization  of  missionary  forces 
to  operate  among  the  negroes  on  the  planta- 
tions is  by  some  attributed  to  an  overseer,  and 
by  others  to  the  Hon.  Charles  C.  Pinckney. '  Like 
many  other  important  ideas,  it  is  doubtless  true 
that  the  propriety  and  expediency  of  such  a  move- 
ment had  been  suggested  to  many  minds  before 
any  action  was  taken.  The  prime  movers  in  the 
enterprise  deserve  the  thanks  of  mankind,  and  it 
is  pleasing  to  be  able  to  record  the  name  of  a 
great  statesman,  Charles  Cotesworth  Pinckney, 
among  the  benefactors  of  the  negro  race. 

But  without  detracting  anything  from  the  merits 
of  other  persons,  the  Rev.  George  W.  Moore  gives 
the  honor  to  Mrs.  Bearfield,  a  pious  lady  who,  in 
1828,  made  earnest  efforts  to  have  the  gospel 
preached  on  the  plantation  of  Mr.  Charles  Baring, 
on  Pon  Pon,  in  South  Carolina.  It  is  certain  that 
regular  Missions  to  the  negroes  began  in  the  South 
Carolina  Conference,  and  the  year  1829  is  given 
as  the  date  at  which  the  movement  was  inaugu- 
rated. 

We  have  already  spoken  of  the  prejudices  en- 
tertained by  the  planters  against  Methodist  preach- 
ers as  a  class.     The  revolutionary  attempts  of  the 


150  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

early  Conferences  and  then-  constant  attacks  made 
upon  the  institution  of  slavery  by  zealous  but  in- 
discreet men  had  created  a  feeling  that  required 
almost  a  whole  generation  of  time  to  overcome. 
Where  the  negroes  were  mingled  with  the  mem- 
bers of  the  white  family,  worshiping  under  the 
same  roof  and  taught  by  the  same  minister,  it  was 
easy  enough  to  break  down  this  prejudice.  But 
on  the  large  plantations  of  the  seaboard  country 
in  South  Carolina  and  Georgia,  where  the  only 
white  persons  were  the  overseer  and  his  family,  it 
was  quite  another  matter.  Who  could  assure  the 
owner  that  under  the  pretense  of  preaching  the 
gospel  to  his  negroes  the  itinerant  preacher,  a 
stranger  oftentimes,  would  not  instill  principles  of 
rebellion  in  the  minds  of  the  slaves?  Did  not  the 
General  Conference  of  1800  declare  that  the  whole 
tenor  of  the  New  Testament  was  hostile  to  slav- 
ery? Did  not  that  Conference  identify  emancipa- 
tion with  the  gospel,  and  did  they  not  declare  per- 
petual hostility  to  a  lawful  institution,  recognized 
by  the  state  and  the  Constitution  of  the  United 
States? 

It  seems  to  us  quite  natural  that  men  of  the 
w^orld,  generally  careless  about  the  welfare  of 
their  own  souls,  should  care  but  little  for  the 
religious  instiniction  of  their  slaves.  If  it  could 
be  made  plain  to  them  that  the  gospel,  instead  of 
becoming  a  means  of  creating  trouble  and  strife, 
was  really  the  best  instrument  to  preserve  peace 
and  good  conduct  among  the  negroes,  there  would 


The  Gospel  on  the  Plantation.  151 

have  been  no  hesitation  whatever.  In  point  of  fact 
it  w^as  this  conviction  that  ultimately  opened  the 
way  for  the  gospel  on  the  large  plantations.  But 
this  result  came  only  after  the  Methodist  preachers 
had  repudiated  the  action  of  1800,  and  this  was 
brought  about  by  exchanging  the  fanaticism  of  the 
General  Conference  for  the  wise,  conservative,  and 
Christlike  opinions  and  example  of  St.  Paul.  So 
far  from  breathing  hostility  to  any  civil  institution, 
the  spirit  and  letter  of  the  New  Testament  com- 
manded obedience  to  king,  archon,  or  president, 
whatever  the  chief  rulers  of  a  nation  might  be,  and 
so  far  from  declarincr  one  form  of  civil  o-overnment 
preferable  to  another,  the  grievous  national  bond- 
age of  the  Jews  to  the  Romans  was  never  alluded 
to  in  the  w;iy  of  censure  by  either  our  Saviour  or 
his  apostles. 

Owners  of  large  plantations,  coming  to  the 
knowledge  of  this  change  in  the  dispositions  of 
the  Methodist  preachers,  and  finding  many  of 
them  following  the  example  of  the  illustrious  bish- 
op, then  Mr.  Capers,  and  seeing  the  good  effects 
produced  by  the  preaching  to  the  negroes  on  the 
plantations  of  their  neighbors,  ultimately  gave  their 
consent  to  permit  their  slaves  to  hear  the  gospel 
from  the  lips  of  capable  white  missionaries. 

It  may  be  proper  at  this  point  to  observe  that  al- 
most every  Methodist  preacher,  in  town  or  city, 
became  a  special  missionary  to  the  negroes  prior 
to  1865.  It  was  a  service  courted  by  many,  for 
there  was  a  peculiar  unction  that  descended  upon 


152  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

the  preacher  in  the  presence  of  these  sable  chil- 
dren of  Africa.  While  they  were  not  good  judges 
of  rhetoric,  they  were  excellent  judges  of  good 
preaching,  and  by  their  prayers  and  that  peculiar 
magnetism  which  many  have  felt  and  none  can  ex- 
plain the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost  seemed  often 
present  in  the  preacher  and  the  hearer.  That 
sense  of  constraint  which  the  minister  feels  when 
he  stands  in  the  view  of  hundreds  of  critical  eyes 
was  unknown  in  the  pulpit  of  a  colored  Church. 
No  learned  exposition  of  difficult  texts  was  needed. 
No  exhibition  of  the  acquirements  of  the  preacher 
was  provoked  in  that  presence.  He  felt  himself 
face  to  face  with  immortal  souls,  and  indifferent 
to  all  things  belonging  to  "delivery"  and  "elo- 
cution." 

"God  bless  all  the  benefit  sharers,^^  said  a  ne- 
gro preacher  in  our  hearing;  and  who  \\\\\  say 
that  he  did  not  make  a  happy  blunder  and  give  a 
profoundly  accurate  definition  of  the  word  "  ben- 
eficiaries "  when  he  made  it  "benefit  sharers?" 
It  was  this  arrowlike  directness,  flying  straight  to 
the  mark,  and  the  simple,  unadorned  language  of 
the  needy  soul  feeling  its  wants — these  were  the 
conditions  that  made  preaching  to  the  negroes  a 
blessing  to  every  city  pastor.  The  dry,  decorous, 
and  stiff  congregations  that  too  often  looked  like 
wax  figures  assembled  in  Church,  and  were  just 
as  often  destitute  of  any  visible  evidence  of  inter- 
est in  the  preacher  and  his  message — these  were 
terrors  to  many  city  pastors,  and  from  this  Sahara 


The  Gospel  on  the  Plantation.  153 

of  form  and  show  they  were  glad  to  escape  and  re- 
ceive a  baptism  from  above  in  delivering  the  gos- 
pel message  to  appreciative  hearers  in  a  negro 
congregation.  The  chasm  opened  in  1865  and 
after  by  the  malignant  efforts  of  messengers  of 
Satan  who  sowed  the  seed  of  mistrust  and  enmity 
in  the  minds  of  the  negroes  against  the  whites, 
against  the  preachers  especially,  has  not  been  en- 
tirely closed  at  this  day,  but  time  will  accomplish 
the  task,  and  then  the  preachers  who  have  never 
known  this  blessedness  in  the  pulpit  may  have  op- 
portunities to  understand  what  otherwise  may  seem 
inexplicable  to  them. 

The  condition  of  the  negro  slave  had  greatly 
improved  in  1830,  when  South  Carolina  first  es- 
tablished her  Missions  on  the  plantations.  The 
African  slave  trade  had  legally  expired  in  1808, 
and  the  moral  sentiment  of  the  people  of  the  South 
condemned  it  with  great  severity.  There  were 
many  New  England  ships  ready  to  be  engaged  in 
the  traffic  as  of  yore,  and  their  owners  were  not 
averse  to  measuring  arms  with  the  feeble  coast 
guard  of  the  Federal  Government.  In  nearly  two 
thousand  miles  of  coast  line,  it  was  simply  impos- 
sible to  prevent  the  landing  of  slave  ships  if  the 
people  on  shore  gave  the  necessary  encourage- 
ment. But  this  stimulus  was  wanting.  The  con- 
sequence was  that  the  negroes  on  the  rice  and 
cotton  plantations  were  now  natives  of  the  soil, 
for  the  most  part.  Here  and  there  a  "  Guinea  ne- 
gro "  could  be  found,  but  his  existence  was  proof 


154  '^'^^  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

of  the  humane  treatment  of  his  master.  After 
twenty-two  years  of  service,  the  slave  captured  at 
twenty-five  or  thirty  becomes  a  source  of  expense, 
not  of  profit  to  his  master.  There  were  man}^  of 
these  doubtless,  but  they  had  learned  English, 
after  a  fashion,  and  their  own  dialect  was  suffi- 
cient for  their  intellectual  wants.  The  preachers 
who  devoted  their  time  and  study  to  the  attain- 
ment of  a  simple  style  and  homely  manner  of  ad- 
dress became  useful  in  a  high  degree. 

Among  these  effective  preachers  was  the  Rev. 
George  W.  Moore,  of  South  Carolina. 

"  To  Mr.  Moore  belomjs  the  honor  of  havinij 
been  the  first  plantation  missionary.  It  is  true  he 
was  not  regularly  appointed  by  the  Conference, 
but  this  did  not  deter  him  from  preachmg  to  these 
darkened  souls  with  all  the  zeal  and  faithfulness 
of  a  heart  that  counted  no  labor  too  exacting,  no 
service  too  lowly  in  its  Master's  cause.  In  these 
noble  efforts  Mr.  Moore  was  warmly  seconded  and 
aided  by  his  colaborer  on  the  circuit,  the  Rev. 
Samuel  W.  Capers. 

"  Mr.  Charles  Baring  was  so  much  pleased  with 
the  results  of  Mr.  Moore's  preaching  to  his  slaves 
that  he  joined  wdth  Col.  Lewis  Morris,  a  neighbor- 
ing planter,  in  making  application  to  the  South 
Carolina  Conference  for  a  missionary  to  be  regu- 
larly sent  to  preach  to  their  people.  '  In  the  au- 
tumn of  the  same  year,'  says  Dr.  Shipp  in  his 
"History  of  Methodism  in  South  Carolina,"  'the 
Hon.  Charles  C.  Pinckney,  feeling  a  deep  interest 


The  Gospel  on  the  Plantation.  155 

in  the  religious  welfare  of  the  colored  people,  in- 
voked the  aid  of  Rev.  William  Capers,  Superin- 
tendent of  Missions,  in  procuring  the  services  of  a 
Methodist  exhorter  in  the  relation  of  overseer  for 
his  plantation  on  Santee  River.  His  attention  was 
called  to  the  object  and  aim  of  the  Missionary  So- 
ciety, and  he  therefore  made  application  also  for  a 
missionary.' 

"As  the  result  of  these  requests,  the  South  Car- 
olina Conference,  in  1829,  sent  out  two  missiona- 
ries specially  to  the  slaves — the  Revs.  John  Hon- 
our and  John  H.  Massey.  The  former  was  sent 
as  missionary  to  the  slaves  on  the  plantations  south 
of  the  Ashley  River,  and  the  latter  to  those  south 
of  the  Santee.  The  Rev.  William  Capers  was 
made  superintendent  of  these  missions.  A  mel- 
ancholy incident  marked  their  opening.  The  Rev. 
John  Honour,  although  a  native  of  the  low  coun- 
tr}^  and  acclimated,  as  it  was  supposed,  contracted 
the  fever  from  exposure  in  the  swamps,  was  taken 
seriously  ill  on  the  nth  of  September,  and  died 
the  week  following,  on  September  19,  1829. 

"Mr.  Honour  was  a  noble,  zealous,  Christian 
minister,  not  ashamed  of  the  lowly  work  to  which 
he  had  been  called,  but  joyfully  resigning  even  life 
itself  in  the  cause.  Through  the  kindness  of  Rev. 
William  W.  Mood,  of  Ridgeway,  S.  C,  we  have 
been  permitted  to  make  use  of  the  following  extracts 
from  a  letter  written  to  Mr.  Mood  by  Mr.  John  L. 
Honour,  of  Charleston,  S.  C,  the  grandson  of 
Rev.  John  Honour: 


156  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

A  brief  history  of  my  grandfather  can  easily  be  furnished 
you,  as  a  few  months  prior  to  the  decease  of  my  beloved  father 
he  wrote  a  sketch  of  the  Honour  family  "for  the  benefit  of  its 
members  who  may  come  after  me."  Of  his  own  father,  the 
Rev.  John  Honour  in  question,  he  writes  thus:  "John,  the  sec- 
ond son  of  Dt.  Thomas  Honour,  was  born  in  St.  Andrew's  Par- 
ish, South  Carolina,  July  22,  1770.  In  early  boyhood,  having 
lost  his  father,  he  left  Charleston  in  a  vessel  trading  between 
that  port  and  the  West  Indies  on  a  trip  to  Havana.  On  the  re- 
turn passage  the  vessel  foundered  at  sea,  and  the  persons  on 
board  took  to  the  boats  and  were  for  three  days  without  food  or 
water,  when  they  fell  in  with  a  vessel  bound  for  Philadelphia, 
which  took  them  on  board  and  carried  them  to  that  city,  whence 
John  made  his  Vvay  home  to  Charleston.  Not  wishing  any  fur- 
ther acquaintance  with  the  sea,  he  entered  into  business,  in 
which  he  continued  for  many  years.  In  the  meantime,  he  and 
his  wife  had  become  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  and  he  became  a  local  preacher,  preaching  every  Sun- 
day in  the  city  and  surrounding  country.  At  length  he  deter- 
mined to  give  up  business  and  devote  himself  entirely  to  the 
work  of  the  ministry,  and  was  received  into  the  South  Carolina 
Conference.  About  the  year  1829  the  Conference  established  a 
mission  to  the  blacks  in  the  southern  portion  of  the  state,  in- 
cluding the  Sea  Islands,  and  the  Rev.  John  Honour  was  ap- 
pointed first  missionary.  In  this  cause  he  successfully  labored 
until  the  fall  of  1829,  when  he  contracted  malarial  fever,  on  the 
Combahee,  of  which  he  died  September  19,  1829." 

"The  remains  of  the  Rev.  John  Honour,  first 
missionary  to  the  slaves,  were  interred  in  the  cem- 
etery of  Trinity  Church,  Hazel  Street,  Charleston, 
S.  C.  In  the  great  conflagration  of  1838,  in  which 
the  church  (a  frame  one)  was  burned,  the  tomb- 
stone was  almost  totally  destroyed  from  the  heat 
of  the  burning  church.  Mr.  Honour,  the  grand- 
son, writes  that  only  a  few  fragments  of  the  first 
monument  remain.  In  this  way  the  original  in- 
scription has  been  lost.       The  present  monument 


The  Gospel  on  the  Plantation.  157 

was  erected   by  the   missionary's  son,  and  bears 
the  simple  inscription: 

Filial  to  Parental  Love. 

In  Memory  of 

Rev.  John  Honour, 
born  july  22,  1770, 

died  SEPTEMBER   I9,  1829. 

^'Although  this  first  mission  to  the  slaves  had 
such  a  deplorable  beginning,  it  continued  to  flour- 
ish as  a  tree  that  heaven  watereth.  One  faithful 
soldier  had  died,  but  there  were  others  ready  and 
willing  to  take  his  place.  The  work  went  forward 
with  healthy  activity.  Those  noble-hearted  men 
who  were  first  in  the  movement  to  have  the  gospel 
preached  to  their  people  ever  remained  firm  and 
helpful  friends  of  the  missionaries,  giving  liberally 
of  their  substance  in  support  of  the  work.  Dur- 
ing the  first  year  of  these  missions  the  faithful 
laborers  gathered  four  hundred  and  seventeen 
Church  members  among  these  hitherto  neglected 
blacks. 

"The  Rev.  George  W.  Moore  was  deemed  a 
fitting  successor  of  the  faithful  and  lamented 
Honour.  In  1830  he  was  sent  as  missionary  to 
the  slaves  on  Pon  Pon  and  Combahee,  while  Rev. 
John  W.  Massey  was  returned  to  those  on  the 
Santee.  In. the  meantime  another  mission  to  the 
blacks  had  been  established  on  the  Savannah  and 
Broad  Rivers,  and  the  Rev.  James  Dannelly  sent 
to  serve  it.     In  the  second  year — that  is,  at  the  end 


158  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

of  1830 — these  faithful  missionaries  nearly  trebled 
the  work  of  the  first  year,  returning  a  colored 
membership  on  these  Missions  of  1,077. 

"  The  call  for  means  to  keep  up  these  Missions 
was  most  urgent.  Back  of  this  was  but  a  meagerly 
filled  treasure-chest,  for  during  the  year  1830  the  to- 
tal amount  collected  by  the  Conference  for  Missions 
was  only  $261.*  But  to  the  credit  of  this  grand 
old  Conference  be  it  said  that  she  never  once  fell 
short  of  her  duty  because  of  a  depleted  treasury. 

"  In  the  Minutes  of  the  South  Carolina  Confer- 
ence of  1830,  the  same  year  in  which  the  Georgia 
Conference  was  set  off,  we  find  record  of  the  es- 
tablishment of  another  mission  on  the  Little  River, 
in  the  Athens  (Ga.)  District. 

"  In  183 1  there  were  four  distinct  missions  to 
the  slaves  in  the  bounds  of  the  South  Carolina 
and  Georgia  Conferences — three  in  the  former 
and  one  in  the  latter.  The  total  number  of  blacks 
taken  into  the  Church  on  these  missions  was 
1,242,  an  increase  of  165.  In  the  meantime  ac- 
tive and  zealous  souls  had  been  at  work,  and  the 
amount  raised  this  year  for  missions  in  the  South 
Carolina  Conference  alone  more  than  trebled  that 
of  the  previous  year,  being  $727.67.  What  amount 
was  given  by  the  Georgia  Conference  for  the  sup- 
port of  her  one  mission  the  writer  has  been  un- 
able to  find. 

"  The  largest  of  these  four  missions  was  that  on 
Combahee  and  Pon  Pon,  which  had  a  black  mem- 

*  Statistics  given  in  1856  by  Rev.  William  M.  Wightman. 


The  Gospel  on  the  Plantation.  159 

bership  of  nearly  700.  In  addition  to  this  there 
were  upward  of  one  hundred  httle  negroes  regular- 
ly receiving  the  benefits  of  a  plan  of  catechetical 
instruction  adopted  by  the  Conference  that  year. 

"In  this  year  (1831)  the  Rev.  Allen  Turner, 
writing  from  the  Little  River  Mission  in  Georgia, 
says  that  this  mission  grew  out  of  a  great  revival 
among  the  whites  and  blacks  that  began  at  the 
Fountain  camp  meeting  held  near^Warrenton. 

"At  the  anniversary  of  the  South  Carolina  Con- 
ference Missionary  Society,  held  January  28,  1832, 
the  cause  of  Missions  to  the  slaves  was  declared 
'  one  of  wide  and  growing  interest,'  and  that  the 
success  which  had  marked  the  enterprise  proved 
that  God  had  sanctioned  it,  and  offered  '  cheering 
argument  in  favor  of  its  ultimate  triumph,  as  well 
as  a  strong  inducement  for  increased  exertion.' 
This  shows  well  the  temper  and  zeal  of  the  men 
who  had  this  work  in  hand.  No  wonder  it  flour- 
ished and  increased  despite  the  slanders  and  op- 
position of  its  enemies.  The  closing  words  of  this 
address  are  worthy  of  enduring  record:  'Thus, 
after  years  of  delay  on  our  part,  the  debt  of  jus- 
tice due  to  Africa's  sons  has  begun  to  be  consid- 
ered. Guided  by  experience  and  cheered  by  suc- 
cess, we  come  to  bind  ourselves  afresh  to  the  holy 
work,  and  to  renew  the  solemn  obligation  which 
the  enterprise  of  negro  salvation  and  instruction 
imposes  on  us.  Into  this  long-neglected  field  of 
danger,  reproach,  and  toil  we  again  go  forth  bear- 
ing the  precious  seed  of  salvation ;  and  to  the  pro- 


i6o  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

tection  of  the  God  of  Missions  our  cause  is  confi- 
dently and  devotedly  commended.' 

"  In  1832  we  find  the  return  made  of  four  dis- 
tinct colored  missions  from  the  Georgia  Confer- 
ence, which  shows  that  this  Conference  had  start- 
ed out  with  all  the  zeal  of  the  mother  Conference. 
Indeed,  this  year,  she  not  only  ran  abreast,  but 
ahead,  reporting  four  missions  to  two  in  the  South 
Carolina  Conference.  This  looks  a  little  strange 
at  first,  but  is  easily  accounted  for  by  the  transfer 
of  a  part  of  the  territory  of  the  South  Carolina 
Conference,  including  one  of  its  missions,  to  the 
Georgia  Conference.  This  was  the  Little  River 
Mission  which,  although  it  was  established  in 
Georgia,  was  nevertheless  at  first  under  the  con- 
trol of  the  South  Carolina  Conference. 

"The  other  three  missions  in  Georgia  at  this 
date  were  those  on  Broad  River  in  the  Athens 
District,  the  one  near  Macon,  and  the  one  on  Su- 
gar Creek,  in  the  Milledgeville  District.  The 
names  of  the  missionaries  serving  them  were: 
Robert  G.  Edwards,  Whitman  C.  Hill,  and  John 
Collinsworth — all  names  honored  as  pioneers  in 
Georgia  Methodism.  John  Collinsworth  was  es- 
pecially noted  for  the  access  he  had  to  the  hearts 
of  the  slaves  and  the  confidence  of  their  masters. 
He  was  then  a  man  in  the  prime  of  life.  He  died 
September  4,  1834,  while  stationed  at  Eatonton, 
Ga. 

"  The  two  missions  in  the  South  Carolina  Con- 
ference were  the  Pon  Pon  and  Combahee  Mission, 


The  Gospel  on  the  Plantation.  i6i 

and  the  one  on  the  Santee  River.  Rev.  George 
W.  Moore  was  the  missionary  to  the  former,  with 
Rev.  John  R.  Coburn  his  colaborer,  while  Rev. 
Christian  G.  Hill  had  charge  of  the  latter.  The 
number  of  members  returned  on  these  two  mis- 
sions alone  was  1,395.  Another  cause  of  the  de- 
crease in  the  number  of  missions  in  the  South 
Carolina  Conference  was  that  during  the  year 
1 83 1  the  negroes  served  on  the  Savannah  River 
Mission  had  been  put  into  the  regular  work  of  the 
circuit.  This  mission  must  not  be  confounded 
with  that  of  the  Savannah  Back  River  Mission  es- 
tablished by  the  Georgia  Conference  in  1834. 

"In  1832  we  find  the  Tennessee  Conference  fol- 
lowing the  example  of  the  Georgia  and  South  Car- 
olina Conferences  and  establishino;  two  missions  to 
the  blacks.  But  though  established  by  this  Con- 
ference, these  missions  lay  in  the  bounds  of  an- 
other state — the  one  in  Madison  and  Limestone 
Counties,  and  the  other  in  Franklin  and  Lawrence 
Counties,  Alabama.  The  two  missionaries  sent  to 
serve  these  missions  were  Thomas  M.  King  and 
Gilbert  D.  Ta3'lor.  This  makes  eight  slave  mis- 
sions in  operation  for  the  year  1832. 

"The  reports  from  these  missions,  wdth  but 
slight  exception,  were  encouraging.  The  good 
work  had  spread;  the  minds  and  hearts  of  the 
planters  had  been  opened  to  the  marked  benefit 
of  the  system,  and  in  several  instances  they  were 
beginning  to  contribute  liberally  toward  the  main- 
tenance of  the  missionaries. 
11 


i62  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

"  The  Rev.  George  W.  Moore,  writing  from  the 
Pen  Pon  and  Combahee  Missions,  in  South  Caro- 
lina, in  February,  1832,  said:  'At  no  time  has 
there  been  more  fixed  attention  to  the  word  than 
at  present.  If  we  are  to  decide  on  its  advantages 
from  the  statements  of  those  who  are  best  ac- 
quainted with  the  colored  people,  the  master  and 
overseer,  it  is  their  decided  conviction  that  much 
good  has  been  done.' 

"  On  the  Santee  Mission,  same  Conference, 
where  that  good  and  true  man,  Christian  G.  Hill, 
was  in  charge,  matters  were  also  in  a  highly  pros- 
perous condition.  During  one  quarter  he  received 
on  trial  eighty-six  adults  and  had  the  accession  of 
three  large  plantations  to  the  mission.  He  had, 
too,  a  class  of  nearly  two  hundred  children  under 
catechetical  instruction. 

*'  In  January,  1832,  the  Georgia  Conference,  in 
session  at  Augusta,  passed  a  resolution  to  the  ef- 
fect '  that  in  the  opinion  of  the  Conference  it  was 
the  duty  of  the  missionary  to  the  slaves  and  the 
colored  people  within  its  bounds  to  consider  them 
his  special  charge,  to  collect  them  into  societies 
and  divide  them  into  classes  wherever  it  is  practi- 
cable; that  he  should  carefully  instruct  them  in 
the  doctrines  of  Christianity  and  bring  them  under 
the  discipline  of  the  Church,  as  in  the  case  of  all 
other  members.' 

"  On  the  missions  within  the  bounds  of  this 
Conference  everything  seemed  to  be  in  harmoni- 
ous workin<x  order.     Near  Macon  was  at  this  time 


The  Gosfcl  on  the  Plantation.  163 

one  of  the  most  prosperous  missions.     This  mis- 
sion had  been  organized  by  the  Rev,  Whitman  C. 
Hill.     He  was  succeeded  in  1832  by  Rev.  Jesse 
Sinclair.     This  mission  embraced  a  tract  of  thir- 
ty-five miles  in  length  and  about  twenty  in  breadth. 
It  lay  west  of  Macon,  in  the  counties  of  Bibb,  Mon- 
roe, and  Upson.     By  the  summer  of  1832  Mr.  Sin- 
clair reported  12  regular  preaching  places,  nearly 
500  members  in  full  connection,  and  with  nearly 
100  on  probation.     Among  many  things  of  inter- 
est, he  wrote  of  a  quarterly  meeting  just  held  m 
which  many  of  the  slaves  spoke  at  love  feast «  calm- 
ly and  rationally  on  the  goodness  of  God  in  their 
awakening  and  conversion.'     Their  faces    shone 
with  a  new  light,  the  tears  streamed   down  their 
cheeks.     Many  of  the  owners  of  these  slaves  were 
present  and  joined  with  them  in  the  praise  of  God, 
weeping  as  they  wept  and   rejoicing  as  they  re- 
joiced. 

"  During  the  year  1832  (report  made  at  the  be- 
ginning of  the  year  of  1833)  the  South  Carolina 
Conference  appropriated  $1, 519-45  to  Missions, 
and  the  Georgia  Conference  $856.25,  the  greater 
part  of  which  went  undoubtedly  to  the  keeping  up 
of  their  slave  missions.  The  Rev.  Mr.  Chreitz- 
berg,  the  able  statistician  of  the  South  Carolina 
Conference,  writing  in  reply  to  the  author's  in- 
quiry, says:  ^  You  can  safely  set  down  fully  two- 
thirds  of  the  amount  from  each  year's  Mission  re- 
port of  the  South  Carolina  Conference  as  appro- 
priated to  slave  missions.'     We  suppose  this  will 


164  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

hold  good  of  other  Conferences  having  these  mis- 
sions in  their  bounds.  It  is  certainly  not  an  over- 
estimate, as  for  several  years  after  the  establish- 
ment of  slave  missions  the  total  amounts  collected 
for  Missions  by  the  South  Carolina  Conference 
were  appropriated,  with  but  little  reservation,  to 
the  keeping  up  of  its  missionaries  m  the  slave  mis- 
sion fields. 

"What  amount  the  Tennessee  Conference  con- 
tributed to  the  support  of  its  two  missions  in  Ala- 
bama, during  1832,  we  have  been  unable  to  learn. 
The  total  colored  membership  within  the  bounds 
of  these  missions  at  the  close  of  the  year  1832  was 
something  over  2,500,  and  the  three  Conferences 
reporting  special  missions  to  the  slaves  had  a  col- 
ored membership  of  nearly  26,000. 

"Now  it  must  not  be  supposed  that  because  no 
special  missions  to  the  blacks  had  at  this  time  been 
established  in  the  other  Conferences  they  were  neg- 
lectful of  this  work.  Not  so;  there  was  not  at 
this  date  a  single  Conference  within  the  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  Church  that  had  not,  in  some  way 
or  other,  made  provision  for  the  spiritual  enlight- 
enment of  the  blacks.  A  large  part  of  this  mission 
work  was  done  by  the  regular  ministry.  There 
was  not  a  circuit  of  any  size  that  did  not  have  its 
colored  charge,  or  its  colored  membership.  Thus 
the  Kentucky  Conference,  which,  up  to  1838,  had 
established  but  one  mission  to  the  people  of  color 
(that  in  Lexington  and  vicinity)  had  a  colored 
membership   of  5,854.     So,  too,  of  the    Holston 


Tlic  Gospel  on  the  Plantation.  165 

and  Virginia  Conferences  which,  for  several  years 
later,  did  not  establish  separate  and  distinct  mis- 
sions for  the  blacks;  the  former  had  a  colored 
membership  of  1,820,  and  the  latter  2,951.  What 
was  true  of  these  Conferences  was  also  true  of  the 
others,  to  a  greater  or  less  extent. 

"The  year  1833  opened  with  five  missions  in 
the  Georgia  Conference,  ten  in  the  South  Caro- 
lina, and  one  in  the  Tennessee — sixteen  in  all,  a 
wonderful  increase  over  the  previous  year.  Rec- 
ord is  also  given  of  the  establishment  of  a  mission 
partly  to  the  whites  and  partly  to  the  blacks,  by 
the  Baltimore  Conference  on  Mattawoman  Creek; 
but  as  no  further  account  of  it  is  obtainable  from 
the  Minutes,  no  estimate  of  it  can  be  given.  The 
two  missions  under  the  control  of  the  Tennessee 
Conference  in  Alabama  were  now  placed  in  the 
work  of  the  circuits,  and  no  separate  account  of 
them  is  available. 

"On  June  5,  1833,  the  Rev.  A.  Hamill,  presid- 
ing elder  of  the  Savannah  District,  reported  the 
mission  to  slaves  in  Burke  County,  Georgia,  un- 
der the  management  of  the  Rev.  L.  C.  Peck,  in  a 
highly  prosperous  condition.  There  were  twenty- 
six  appointments  in  all,  with  a  population  of  nearly 
two  thousand  slaves  enjoying  the  preaching  of  the 
gospel.  '  The  planters,'  wrote  Mr.  Hamill,  '  are 
generaly  inclined  to  favor  the  introduction  of 
Christianity  among  their  slaves.' 

"  The  Savannah  River  Mission,  under  the 
charge  of    the  Rev.  Samuel  J.  Bryan,    had,    in 


i66  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

addition  to  a  large  membership,  six  schools  in 
which  214  children  were  regularly  catechised 
and  instructed  in  the  knowledge  of  God.  Mr. 
Bryan  mentions  several  instances  of  masters  and 
slaves  being  gathered  around  one  common  altar, 
beseeching  mercy  from  the  throne  of  grace. 

"  There  was  another  mission  near  Savannah, 
that  was  known  as  the  Ogeechee  Mission,  which 
was  this  year  served  by  the  Rev.  John  M.  Rems- 
hart.  The  prospect,  as  reported  by  this  noble  old 
soldier  himself,  was  '  cheering  and  full  of  interest.' 
At  one  meeting  he  received  twenty-seven  members 
on  trial.  At  every  preaching  place  he  had  large 
congregations,  'eager  to  hear  the  word  of  life.' 
Some  of  those  who  had  but  lately  embraced  re- 
hgion  could  tell,  though  in  broken  language — '  a 
whole  and  perfect  experience.'  '  By  the  help  of 
the  Spirit,'  continues  this  consecrated  missionary, 
'  we  shall  continue  to  sow  the  seed,  looking  to  God 
for  the  shower.' 

*'  From  South  Carolina  the  reports  were  fully  as 
cheering.  But  the  brave  missionaries,  of  course, 
did  not  find  it  all  sunshine  and  easy  sowing. 

"About  this  time  a  report  from  the  Rev.  Thom- 
as D.  Turpin,  the  missionary  in  charge  of  the  May 
and  New  River  Mission,  speaks  of  one  of  the 
many  obstacles  in  the  way  of  the  mission  work — 
doubtless  one  of  the  most  stubborn  against  which 
they  had  to  contend.  A  number  of  the  negroes 
on  this  mission  lived  on  a  secluded  island.  Pre- 
vious to  the  coming  of  the  missionary,  being  de- 


The  Gospel  on  the  Plantatio  167 

prived  of  Church  privileges,  they  had  organized 
societies  among  themselves.  These  were  decid- 
edly of  Roman  Catholic  proclivities.  Among  oth- 
er things  they  had  a  regular  form  of  doing  pen- 
ance. There  v^-ere  three  degrees  of  punishment, 
inflicted  according  to  the  magnitude  of  the  crime. 
If  the  crime  was  of  the  first  magnitude,  the  perpe- 
trator was  condemned  to  pick  up  a  quart  of  benne 
seed  (among  the  smallest  of  seeds)  which  had 
been  thrown  on  the  ground  by  the  priest;  if  of 
the  second  degree,  a  quart  of  rice;  and  if  of  the 
third,  a  quart  of  corn.  Many  times  the  poor  cul- 
prit condemned  to  pick  up  the  quart  of  benne  seed 
could  not  get  through  in  a  night.  In  that  case,  he 
had  to  return  to  the  task  on  the  following  night. 
They  also  had  high  seats  and  low  seats,  which  were 
used  as  a  means  of  punishment  or  reward.  It  was  a 
rule  among  the  members  of  these  societies,  rigidly 
enforced,  never  to  divulge  the  secret  of  stealing; 
to  do  so  brought  dire  punishment  upon  the  in- 
former. Against  such  superstitions  and  ignorance 
as  this  even  the  bright  light  of  the  gospel  and  the 
zeal  of  its  noble  bearers  made  but  slow  headway. 

"One  of  the  most  interesting  of  the  negro  mis- 
sions at  this  time  was  that  of  the  African  charge  in 
Nashville,  Tenn.,  under  the  guidance  of  that  grand 
old  pioneer,  Rev.  James  Gwin.  Writing  from  that 
place,  under  date  of  August  14,  1833,  he  says: 
'  The  work  of  the  Lord  was  greatly  increased  in 
this  mission  among  the  colored  people  the  last 
quarter.     Our  campmeeting  for  this  state  closed 


1 68  T]ic  Gospel  among  the  Slaves 

last  Thursday,  about  a  thousand  colored  people 
attending.  Brother  McMahon,  our  elder,  ad- 
dressed them,  and  administered  the  Holy  Sup- 
per. I  have  never  seen  so  great  a  display  of 
divine  goodness.  During  the  meeting  thirty  pro- 
fessed to  find  peace  v^^ith  God,  fifty-nine  joined 
the  Church  on  trial;  the  work  spreading  all 
through  the  city.  At  our  3  o'clock  meeting  in 
the  brick  church  last  Sabbath  about  one  hundred 
fell  round  the  altar,  apparently  deeply  sensible  of 
their  lost  state.  Several  professed  to  find  peace, 
and  seventeen  joined  the  society.  We  have  a 
membership  of  seven  hundred,  nearly  all  of  whom 
profess  to  be  happy  in  their  Saviour;  and  what 
greatly  encourages  me,  there  is  no  opposition  from 
the  owners  of  slaves.' 

"  During  the  year  1833  there  was  expended  for 
the  support  of  these  missions  an  amount  which, 
based  upon  the  two-thirds  system  estimate,  will 
give  more  than  $5,000  from  the  South  Carolina 
and  Georgia  Conferences  alone.  From  the  South 
Carolina  Conference,  according  to  the  statistics 
gathered  by  Rev.  William  M.  Wightman,  the  ap- 
propriation was  $3,600.  We  find  record  of  $2,185 
paid  out  by  the  Georgia  Conference. 

"  Five  years  of  mission  work  among  the  slaves 
had  forcibly  demonstrated  the  feasibility,  as  well 
as  the  true  Christian  spirit  of  the  experiment. 
Other  Conferences  beside  the  South  Carolina, 
Georgia,  and  Tennessee  were  now  seriously  and 
prayerfully    contemplating     participation     in    the 


The  Gospel  on  the  Plantation.  169 

good  work.  More  than  one  of  them,  in  the  reso- 
lutions adopted  in  the  yearly  session  about  this 
time,  declared  it  their  intention  to  urge  upon 
slaveholders  the  necessity  of  paying  more  atten- 
tion to  the  moral  and  spiritual  condition  of  their 
slaves.  The  preachers,  too,  were  urged  to  do  ev- 
erything they  could  to  promote  this  work. 

"  The  success  of  the  plan,  especially  in  the 
South  Carolina  and  Georgia  Conferences,  had 
shown  beyond  a  doubt  the  susceptibility  of  the 
negro  to  the  enlightenment  of  the  gospel.  Only 
half  a  decade  had  elapsed  since  the  introduction 
of  these  missions  and  the  first  coming  of  that  no- 
ble pioneer,  the  plantation  missionary;  and  now, 
in  place  of  the  ignorant,  superstitious,  and  im- 
bruted  creature  that  had  first  met  his  gaze  and  ap- 
pealed to  his  pitying  heart,  he  had,  in  many  in- 
stances, a  mild  and  rational  being,  earnest,  moral, 
grateful,  and  rejoicing  in  the  blessed  knowledge 
of  a  rich  inheritance  gained  through  a  close  and 
faithful  walk  with  God. 

"At  the  close  of  the  year  1833  there  were  in  the 
separate  colored  missions  embraced  in  the  Con- 
ferences mentioned  upward  of  4,000  Church  mem- 
bers in  full  connection,  in  addition  to  nearly  2,000 
more  on  probation,  800  children  under  catechet- 
ical instruction,  more  than  150  regular  preaching- 
places,  and  a  population  of  from  18,000  to  20,000 
blacks  reached  in  some  way  by  the  missionary. 
These  figures  are  not  given  at  random,  but  have 
been  carefully  and  patiently  culled  from  various 


170  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

sources,  principally  from  the  letters  of  the  mission- 
aries themselves  in  the  Christian  Advocate.  In 
the  Nashville  African  Mission  alone  there  were  at 
the  close  of  this  year  819  members  in  full  connec- 
tion. One  mission  in  the  South  Carolina  Confer- 
ence also  returned  as  many  as  i»i55  members. 
This  was  the  one  on  Combahee  and  Pon  Pon,  the 
mission  which  Rev.  George  W.  Moore  called  '  the 
child  of  Providence.'  " 


CHAPTER  XIII. 
Plantation  Work  Continued  to  1844. 

THE  year  1834  opened  auspiciously  for  slave 
missions.  Many  hearts  hitherto  cold  were 
warmed  to  the  work.  Tennessee  had  added  an- 
other mission  to  her  list  (that  on  Duck  River,  in 
the  Nashville  District),  which  was  placed  under 
the  charge  of  Rev.  Joshua  W.  Kilpatrick.  Mis- 
sissippi, too,  had  come  bravely  to  the  front  by  es- 
tablishing her  first  slave  mission,  the  one  to  the 
colored  people  in  New  Orleans.  Georgia  had 
nearly  doubled  her  Hst,  showing  up  nine  missions, 
while  South  Carohna  had  ten,  an  increase  of  one. 
Two  of  the  missions  in  the  Georgia  Conference 
were  in  Florida:  one  in  Gadsden  County,  served 
by  Rev.  C.  A.  Brown,  and  the  other  in  the  St. 
Augustine  District. 

"One  of  the  largest  and  most  prosperous  mis- 
sions at  this  time  in  the  bounds  of  the  South  Car- 
olina Conference  was  the  mission  to  the  blacks 
near  Beaufort.  This  mission  was  in  charge  of 
Rev.  George  W.  Moore.  In  writing  of  his  work 
he  said:  'In  taking  a  general  view  of  the  negroes 
in  this  country,  it  is  very  perceptive  that  a  decided 
change  has  taken  place  in  their  general  moral  char- 
acter. On  a  plantation  where  there  are  about  two 
hundred  negroes,  the  overseer  told  me  the  other 

(171) 


172  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

day  that  he  believed  that  not  a  pint  of  ardent  spir- 
its was  drunk  in  a  month  on  the  plantation.' 

"  Brother  Moore  recorded  a  very  interesting  in- 
cident that  occurred  on  this  work.  On  one  of 
the  plantations  were  two  Httle  deaf  and  dumb  ne- 
groes. Despite  their  affliction  they  were  always 
present  during  the  catechising  of  the  other  chil- 
dren. Once,  soon  after  catechising,  Mr.  Moore 
noticed  that  the  elder  of  these  two  little  boys 
seemed  much  affected.  He  was  very  desirous  of 
knowing  the  cause.  The  younger  boy,  not  notic- 
ing the  tears  in  the  eyes  of  the  elder,  took  him  by 
the  hand  and  brought  him  to  shake  hands  with  the 
missionary.  But  on  noticing  the  tears,  he  seemed 
to  recall  what  his  brother  was  crying  about.  The 
tears,  it  seems,  were  not  tears  of  sorrow  for  sin, 
but  tears  of  anger,  he  having,  a  few  moments  be- 
fore the  catechising,  grown  very  angry  with  a  little 
girl  who  had  done  him  a  supposed  injury. 

"  The  younger  boy  now  made  signs  to  the  elder 
to  go  and  tight  the  little  girl.  At  this  juncture  the 
old  woman  who  acted  as  nurse  began  to  tell  them 
by  signs  how  wrong  it  was  to  fight.  The  younger 
boy,  who  was  the  brighter  of  the  two,  seemed  to 
read  correctly  her  every  gesture.  He  now  turned 
to  his  brother,  and  pointing  upward,  as  though  to 
heaven,  and  then  downward,  as  though  to  hell, 
blew  on  his  hands,  and  then  wrung  them  as  in 
pain,  as  much  as  to  say  that  if  the  other  did  fight 
God  would  punish  him  in  fire.  'What  struck  my 
mind  forcibly,'  wrote  Mr.  Moore,  '  was  how  this 


Plantation   Work  Continued  to  18^4.        173 

little  fellow,  so  young  and  deprived  of  any  partic- 
ular assistance  from  any  outward  circumstance, 
had  conveyed  to  his  mind  this  knowledge.' 

"From  the  beginning  to  the  close  of  1834  niost 
favorable  reports  continued  to  come  from  all  the 
missions.  In  April  Rev.  Thomas  C.  Benning 
wrote  from  the  missions  to  slaves  on  the  islands 
below  Savannah,  that,  though  a  new  work,  he  had 
an  interestino;  one  which  extended  to  the  slaves  of 
five  islands.  These  islands  had  a  population  of 
80  whites  and  over  1,200  blacks.  There  were 
180  colored  children  in  classes. 

"A  little  later  the  Rev.  Samuel  J.  Bryan  wrote 
from  the  other  mission  near  Savannah,  that  on 
the  Savannah  and  Back  Rivers.  This  mission  em- 
braced eighteen  plantations  and  reached  about  two 
thousand  negroes.  On  one  plantation  there  were 
297  members.  The  planters,  as  a  general  thing, 
were  not  only  favorable  to  the  mission,  but  liberal. 
One  of  them  had  already  begun  to  give  $100  a 
year  to  the  mission  work.  One  pleasing  sign  was 
the  readiness  with  which  the  children  learned  the 
catechism  and  hymns.  It  had  been  only  about 
twelve  months  since  the  opening  of  the  mission, 
yet  they  could  sing  with  interest  all  the  songs  and 
verses  which  they  had  been  taught,  as  well  as  an- 
swer correctly  all  the  questions  on  the  forty  pages 
of  the  catechism  prepared  expressly  for  them  by 
Dr.  Capers.  There  were  several  Sunday  schools 
connected  with  this  mission.  The  laws  of  South 
Carolina  and   Georgia,  as   of  other  slaveholding 


174  '^^^^  Gosf  el  among  the  Slaves. 

states,  threw  no  obstacle  whatever  in  the  way  of 
the  instruction  of  the  blacks  orally  in  'the  first 
principles  of  natural  and  revealed  religion.' 

"From  the  Little  River  and  Sugar  Creek  Mis- 
sion in  Georgia  Rev.  Samuel  Harwell  sent  cheer- 
ing accounts  of  an  interesting  and  growing  work; 
two  new  houses  of  worship  exclusively  for  the 
blacks;  members  '  improving  in  rational,  religious 
enjoyment,'  and  other  encouraging  prospects. 

"Rev.  E.  Leggett,  serving  the  Cape  Fear  Mis- 
sion in  North  Carolina  under  the  auspices  of  the 
South  Carolina  Conference,  wrote  of  having  gone 
to  his  work  under  many  disadvantages,  yet  of 
having  the  mission  at  the  time  he  wrote  generally 
prosperous.  All  through  the  work  there  was  a 
deep  awakening,  many  inquiring  with  tears  what 
they  must  do  to  be  saved. 

*'  During  the  same  year,  Burke  Count}^  Mission, 
in  the  Georgia  Conference,  served  by  the  Rev.  L. 
C.  Peek,  had  twenty  appointments,  two  regular 
houses  of  worship,  and  three  more  in  use;  two  of 
them  belonging  to  the  whites  of  the  circuit,  and 
the  other  to  the  Presbyterians.  Everywhere  the 
mission  was  looked  upon  with  favor  by  the  slave 
owners. 

"From  the  Wateree  (S.  C.)  Mission,  in  May, 
1834,  the  Rev.  Frederick  Rush  wrote:  'A  great 
door  is  opened  here  for  preaching  the  gospel. 
The  only  dissenting  voices  are  from  those  who 
have  neither  might  nor  means  to  oppose  us.' 

"  Rev.  Charles  A.  Brown,  stationed  on  the  Gads- 


Plantation  Work  Continued  to  1S4.4..        175 

den  County  Mission  in  Florida,  sent  about  this  time 
a  letter  to  the  Christian  Advocate  published  in 
New  York,  in  which  he  declared:  '  This  mission 
meets  with  the  approbation  of  every  gentleman 
with  whom  I  have  conversed.  The  slave  owners 
speak  of  it  with  deep  interest.  They  feel  for 
these  immortal  beings  that  are  committed  to  them 
not  with  the  austerity  of  a  reckless  despot,  but 
with  the  charity  of  Christian  masters.' 

"  From  the  Forsyth  Mission,  Georgia  Confer- 
ence, Rev.  John  P.  Dickinson,  after  reporting  an 
encouraging  work  that  covered  fourteen  planta- 
tions, closed  with  these  words:  'God  is  preparing 
a  highway  for  himself  in  these  ends  of  the  earth.' 

"  In  the  summer  of  the  same  year  Rev.  The- 
ophilus  Huggins,  on  May  and  New  River  Mission, 
South  Carolina,  wrote  of  preaching  in  a  barn  and 
under  a  stand  in  the  woods  to  congregations  of 
negroes  that  averaged  not  less  than  800  to  1,000 
each  time. 

"  From  the  Pedee  Mission,  same  Conference, 
Rev.  John  B.  Chappell,  after  speaking  of  the  en- 
couraging prospects  of  his  mission,  the  kindness 
of  the  planters,  and  his  own  determination  to  do  all 
the  good  he  could  for  the  spiritual  welfare  of  this 
long-neglected  people,  drew  a  pathetic  picture  of 
the  missionary,  notwithstanding  the  deadly  malaria 
of  the  river  swamps,  gathering  his  charge  by  night 
under  the  spreading  oak,  '  bareheaded,  by  torch- 
light, opening  to  these  poor  creatures  the  word  of 
life  and  salvation.' 


176  Tlic  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

"  For  the  support  of  her  slave  missions,  inchid- 
ing  amounts  contributed  by  the  planters  and  others 
interested  in  the  missions,  Georgia  gave  during 
1834  a  sum  closely  approximating  in  round  num- 
bers to  $3,000.  It  may  have  been  something  more 
than  this,  as  some  items  here  and  there  have 
doubtless  escaped  the  eye  of  the  compiler.  The 
amount  contributed  from  the  South  Carolina  Con- 
ference, as  per  plan  of  estimate,  was  $2,615.  Like 
that  from  the  Georgia  Conference,  it  was  doubtless 
more. 

*'  In  the  meantime  quite  a  forceful  impetus  had 
been  given  the  mission  work  by  a  most  powerful 
sermon  on  the  subject,  delivered  by  Rev.  James 
O.  Andrew  (afterward  Bishop  Andrew)  at  the 
Conference  session  of  1832,  held  at  Darlington, 
S.  C.  Bishop  Wightman's  eloquent  pen  thus  de- 
scribes that  masterful  effort: 

He  drew  a  picture  of  the  irreligious,  neglected  plantation 
negro,  Claudelike  in  the  depth  of  its  tone  and  coloring.  He 
pointed  out  his  degradation,  rendered  but  the  deeper  and  dark- 
er from  the  fitful  and  transient  flashings  up  of  desires  which 
felt  after  God — scintillations  of  the  immortal,  blood-bought 
spirit  within  him,  which  ever  and  again  gleamed  amidst  the 
darkness  of  his  untutored  mind.  He  pointed  out  the  adapta- 
tion of  the  gospel  to  the  extremest  case.  Its  recovering  power 
and  provisions  were  adequate  to  the  task  of  saving  from  sin 
and  hell  all  men,  of  all  conditions  of  life,  in  all  stages  of  civili- 
zation. He  pointed  to  the  converted  negro  (the  noblest  prize 
of  the  gospel)  the  most  unanswerable  proof  of  its  efficiency. 
There  he  was,  mingling  his  morning  song  with  the  matin-cho- 
rus of  the  birds,  sending  up  his  orisons  to  God  under  the  light 
of  the  evening  star,  contented  Avith  his  lot,  cheerful  in  his  la- 
bors, submissive   for  conscience   sake  to  plantation  discipline. 


Plantation  Work  Continued  to  184^.        177 

happy  in  life,  hopeful  in  death,  and  from  his  lowly  cabin  car- 
ried at  last  by  the  angels  to  Abraham's  bosom.  Who  could  re- 
sist such  an  appeal,  in  which  argument  was  fused  with  fervid 
eloquence?     The  speech  carried  by  storm  the  whole  assembly. 

"  In  1833  there  were  8  missions  to  the  slaves  in 
South  Carolina  with  a  Church  membership  of  over 
3,000,  employing  9  preachers,  and  covering  be- 
tween 75  and  80  plantations.  In  Georgia  there 
were  6  with  a  membership  of  1,266,  and  about  45 
plantations  embraced.  The  two  Conferences  to- 
gether gave  over  $5,000  in  support  of  these  mis- 
sions, beside  the  amount  the  planters  contributed. 
Tennessee  had  two  missions,  and  Mississippi  one. 
What  sums  were  contributed  for  their  support  the 
writer  has  been  unable  to  find. 

♦*  In  1836  both  South  Carolina  and  Georgia  in- 
creased their  list  of  slave  missions.  Georgia  had 
now  8  missions;  South  Carolina,  9;  Tennessee,  2; 
Mississippi,  i ;  and  Alabama  had  just  established 
her  first  mission,  the  Canebrake  Mission,  in  the 
Greensboro  District.  Twelve  missionaries  were 
employed  in  South  Carolina  and  nine  in  Geor- 
gia. The  mission  family  in  the  two-  states  alone 
had  increased  to  nearly  6,000,  while  the  amount 
contributed  for  their  support  was  about  $7,000. 
The  new  mission  established  in  the  South  Caroli- 
na Conference  in  1836,  that  on  Waccamaw  Neck, 
brought  to  light  the  interesting  story  of  '  Black 
Punch,'  a  name  deserving,  and  will  doubtless 
have,  perpetual  record  in  the  history  of  Metho- 
dism. It  is  a  name  peculiarly  and  touchingly  as- 
sociated with  that  of  the  venerated  Asbury. 
12 


178  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

"  We  copy  the  record  from  the  pen  of  Rev. 
WilHam  M.  Wightman: 

On  one  of  the  bishop's  tours  of  visitation,  in  17S8,  on  his  way 
to  Charleston,  S.  C,  he  was  passing  through  All-Saint's  Parish, 
and  found,  at  a  creek  on  his  road,  a  negro  engaged  in  fishing. 
While  his  horse  was  drinking,  the  bishop  entered  into  conver- 
sation with  the  fisherman.     '  What  is  jour  name,  mj  friend.?' 

'  Punch,  sir.' 

'  Do  you  ever  pray .'' ' 

'  No,  sir,'  said  Punch. 

With  this  he  alighted,  fastened  his  horse,  took  his  seat  by  the 
side  of  Punch,  and  entered  into  conversation  with  him  on  the 
subject  of  religion,  explaining  to  him  in  terms  suited  to  his  un- 
derstanding the  main  pecviliarities  of  the  Christian  sj'stem. 
Punch  was  sufficiently  astonished  at  all  this,  but  listened  atten- 
tively, and  as  the  good  bishop  sang  the  hymn, 
Plunged  in  a  gulf  of  dark  despair, 

and  closed  it  with  a  short  but  fervent  prayer,  the  poor  negro's 
tears  came  fast  and  free.  The  interview  over,  the  bishop  bade 
him  an  affectionate  farewell  and  resumed  his  journej',  never 
expecting  to  see  his  face  again.  After  the  lapse  of  twenty 
years,  however,  when  on  one  of  his  latest  visits  to  Charleston, 
Bishop  Asbury  was  waited  on  by  Punch,  who  had  obtained  per- 
mission from  his  master  to  do  so,  and  had  traveled  seventy 
miles  on  foot  for  the  purpose.  How  touching  must  have  been 
their  second  interview!  What  a  harvest  had  sprung  fi'om  the 
handful  of  bread-seed  cast  upon  the  waters!  It  appeared  that 
the  bishop  had  no  sooner  left  Punch  than,  hastening  homeward 

with 

The  thoughts  that  wake, 
To  perish  never — 

stirring  within  his  soul,  he  began  to  practice  upon  the  instruc- 
tions of  that  memorable  conversation.  He  found  the  knowl- 
edge of  salvation  by  the  remission  of  sins  after  several  days  of 
distress  and  earnest  prayer.  The  change  was  too  remarkable 
to  escape  notice.  His  fellow-servants  began  to  inquire  into  tlie 
matter.  Those  were  strange  things  Avhich  Punch  had  to  tell 
them.  One  and  another  resorted  to  his  cabin  to  hear  further 
about  these  things.     The  interest  spread ;  many  were  brought 


Plantation  Work  Continued  to  184.^.        179 

to  the  knowledge  of  God.  One  remarkable  result  followed. 
An  irreligious  overseer  had  charge  of  the  plantation.  He  as- 
certained that  some  new  influence  was  stirring  among  the  peo- 
ple. Punch  was  holding  prayer  meeting  at  night,  and  this  was 
not  to  be  allowed.  He  ordered  him  to  desist.  Punch  accord- 
ingly, with  a  sorrowful  heart,  dismissed  the  company  of  wor- 
shipers. A  week  or  two  passed  away,  when  one  evening  the 
overseer's  voice  was  heard  calling  for  Punch,  while  the  latter 
was  engaged  in  prayer.  In  no  small  alarm  he  went  out,  when 
lo!  the  overseer  was  found  kneeling  under  a  tree,  calling  upon 
God  for  mercy,  and  asking  the  benefit  of  Punch's  prayers.  The 
upshot  was  his  conversion.  He  joined  the  Methodist  Church, 
became  an  exhortei',  and  finally  a  preacher. 

*'  The  missionary  who  was  sent  to  the  Wacca- 
maw  Mission  found,  on  the  plantation  where  Punch 
lived,  between  two  and  three  hundred  blacks  un- 
der the  spiritual  supervision  of  the  gray-haired  pa- 
triarch. *  I  was  much  interested,'  said  he,  '  on 
my  visit  to  the  old  veteran.  Just  before  I  reached 
his  house  I  met  a  herdsman  and  asked  him  if  there 
was  any  preacher  on  the  plantation.  "  O  yes, 
massa;  de  old  bishop  lib  here,"  Said  I:  *'  Is  he  a 
good  preacher?"  "O  yes,"  was  the  reply,  "  he 
word  burn  me  heart."  He  showed  me  the  house. 
I  knocked  at  the  door,  and  heard  approaching 
footsteps  and  the  sound  of  a  cane  upon  the  floor. 
The  door  opened,  and  I  saw  before  me,  leaning 
upon  a  staff,  a  hoary-headed  black  man,  with  pal- 
sied limbs  but  a  smiling  face.  He  looked  at  me  a 
moment  in  silence,  then  raising  his  e3'^es  to  heaven 
said:  '*  Lord,  now  lettest  thou  thy  servant  depart 
in  peace,  for  mine  eyes  have  seen  thy  salvation." 
He  asked   me  to  take  a  seat,  and  I  found,  in  the 


i8o  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

following  remarks,  the  reason  of  his  exclamation. 
Said  he:  "I  have  many  children  in  this  place.  I 
have  felt  for  some  time  past  that  my  end  was  nigh. 
I  have  looked  around  to  see  who  might  take  my 
place  when  I  am  gone.  I  could  find  none.  I  felt 
unwilling  to  die  and  leave  them  so,  and  have  been 
praying  to  God  to  send  some  one  to  take  care  of 
them.  The  Lord  has  sent  you,  my  child.  I  am 
ready  to  go."  Tears  coursed  freely  down  his 
time-shriveled  but  smiling  face.  This  interview 
gave  me  much  encouragement.  He  had  heard  of 
the  application  for  a  missionary,  and  only  wanted 
to  live  long  enough  to  see  his  face.  After  this  I 
had  several  interviews  with  him,  from  which  I 
learned  his  early  history.  I  always  found  him 
contented  and  happy.  In  the  lapse  of  a  short 
time  afterward,  he  was  taken  ill  and  lingered  a 
few  days.  One  Sabbath  morning  he  told  me  that 
he  would  die  that  day.  He  addressed  affecting 
words  to  the  people  who  crowded  around  his  dy- 
ing bed.  His  theme  was:  "  Lord,  now  lettest  thou 
thy  servant  depart  in  peace."  He  applied  these 
words  to  himself,  and  continued  his  address  to  the 
last  moment,  and  death  gently  stole  his  spirit  away 
while  saying:  "  Lord,  let  thy  servant  depart  in 
peace,  let — let — le — "  His  mistress  sent  for  me  to 
preach  his  funeral  sermon.  The  corpse  was  de- 
cently shrouded,  and  the  coffin  was  carried  to  the 
house  of  worship.  I  looked  upon  the  face  of  the 
cold  clay.  The  departed  spirit  had  left  the  im- 
press of  heaven  upon  it.     Could  I  be  at  a  loss  for 


Plantation  Work  Continued  to  i8^^.        i8i 

a  text?  I  read  out  of  the  gospel:  "  Lord,  now  let- 
test  thou  thy  servant  depart  in  peace."  ' 

"  This  missionary,  if  the  writer  mistakes  not, 
was  the  Rev.  Theophilus  Huggins,  one  of  the  no- 
blest soldiers  in  the  ranks,  who  early  entered  it 
with  a  zeal  and  devotion  surpassed  by  none. 

"There  is  something  else  connected  with  this 
Waccamaw  Neck  Mission  that  deserves  to  be  put 
in  perpetual  record,  and  that  is  the  active  and  zeal- 
ous efforts  made  by  the  Rev.  James  L.  Belin  to 
Christianize  his  slaves.  Says  Rev.  A.  M.  Chreitz- 
berg  in  a  letter  to  the  writer:  '  He  began  the  mis- 
sion work  on  Waccamaw  Neck  as  early  or  earlier 
than  the  earliest  named.'  Investigation  of  the  rec- 
ords show  that  Mr.  Belin  began  the  mission  work 
to  the  slaves  as  early  as  1819,  ten  years  before  the 
Revs.  John  Honour  and  John  Massey  were  sent  as 
regular  missionaries.  Among  the  first  plantations 
on  which  he  preached  were  those  of  Robert  With- 
ers and  Maj.  Ward.  With  the  assistance  of  the 
Rev.  Theophilus  Huggins,  Mr.  Belin,  in  1836, 
formed  the  Waccamaw  Neck  Mission.  Mr.  Belin 
continued  to  the  day  of  his  death  to  labor  strenu- 
ously for  the  salvation  of  the  souls  of  the  negroes. 
He  was  killed  in  1859  ^J  ^  ^^^^  from  his  buggy. 
He  bequeathed  nearly  all  his  large  property  to  the 
carrying  out  of  this  work  of  salvation  among  his 
slaves.  In  the  same  year  of  Mr.  Belin's  death 
Rev.  Mr.  Chreitzberg  dedicated  a  commodious 
house  of  worship  erected  for  the  slaves.  As 
much  as  $40,000  of  Mr.  Belin's  magnificent  be- 


i82  The  Gospel  iwiong  the  Slaves. 

quest  to  his  slaves  survived  the  wreck  of  war, 
and  Mr.  Chreitzberg,  who  is  a  trustee  of  the  fund, 
writes  that,  '  the  negroes  having  gone  into  other 
Churches,  the  mission  is  now  kept  up  to  the  poor 
whites.' 

"  In  1837  there  were  25  distinct  slave  missions 
throughout  the  bounds  of  the  following  Confer- 
ence: South  Carolina,  10;  Georgia,  6;  Mississip- 
pi, 4;  Alabama,  2;  Tennessee,  2;  Kentucky,  i; 
and  Arkansas,  i.  The  numbers  in  the  mission  fam- 
ily had  now  increased  to  nearly  10,000.  This  was 
exclusive  of  those  in  the  regular  circuits.  The  re- 
port of  the  South  Carolina  Conference  Missionary 
Society  declared  nearly  all  the  missions  in  the 
bounds  of  that  Conference  as  highly  prosperous 
and  promising  beyond  the  most  sanguine  expecta- 
tions. A  like  cheering  report  came  from  Georgia. 
Before  these  respective  societies  numerous  commu- 
nications from  the  most  respectable  and  influential 
sources,  in  high  praise  of  the  mission  work,  were 
read,  and  greatly  cheered  the  hearts  of  the  work- 
ers. The  South  Carolina  Society  declared  that, 
'  notwithstanding  the  troublous  times  on  which  we 
are  fallen,  and  the  agitations  that  have  swept  in 
swelling  waves  through  the  public  mind  and  the 
giant  shadows  cast  by  pending  events,  we  bless 
God  and  take  courage.'  The  missionaries  were 
recommended  to  concern  themselves  alone  with 
the  moral  and  spiritual  wants  of  the  negro  popula- 
tion and  to  avoid  all  political  discussions. 

"The   catechising  of  the  young  was  found  a 


Plantation  Work  Continued  to  184.^.       183 

most  promising  means  of  enlightenment.  Rev. 
Thomas  J.  Wilhamson,  writing,  about  this  time, 
from  the  Burke  County  Mission,  in  Georgia,  said: 
'  I  have  become  more  interested  in  teaching  the 
young.  Many  of  them  progress  astonishingly,  all 
things  considered.  They  appear  quite  anxious  to 
learn,  and  some  of  them  inquire  after  the  mission- 
ary, and  wish  the  time  to  come  when  they  may 
meet  him  again.  I  discover  that  a  majority  of 
them  possess  a  strong  attachment  for  me,  which  is 
very  necessary  to  render  me  more  useful  to  them. 
The  present  generation  will  soon  be  past,  and  the 
rising  one  that  we  now  instruct  catechetically  will 
take  their  place.  And  we  hope  and  pray  that  by 
the  blessing  of  God  upon  our  humble  exertions  the 
latter  will  be  higher  in  the  scale  of  religious  knowl- 
edge than  the  former.'  Mr.  Williamson  also  adds 
this  significant  remark:  'The  people  who  attend 
my  ministry  are  comfortably  and  neatly  clad ; 
and  I  can  assure  you  that  a  congregation  of  ne- 
groes in  this  section  of  country  presents  no  mean 
nor  deeply  degraded  appearance,  whatever  may  be 
said  to  the  contrary,  notwithstanding.' 

"Rev.  William  McQuentock,  writing  at  this  same 
period,  also  bears  testimony  to  the  ease  and  facility 
with  which  the  minds  of  the  young  negroes  grasped 
the  first  great  truths  of  Christianity.  All  the  mis- 
sionaries seemed  to  recognize  fully  the  importance 
of  carefully  instructing  the  children  and  also  to 
give  them  every  religious  opportunity.  Rev.  Sam- 
uel Leard,  one  of  the  most  faithful  and  successful 


184  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

of  this  noble  army  of  light  bearers,  relates  a  most 
affecting  incident  that  took  place  in  the  summer 
of  1837.  He  was  holding  a  class  meeting,  when 
his  attention  was  attracted  by  the  sound  of  con- 
tinued sobbing  on  the  outside  of  the  house.  Step- 
ping to  the  door,  he  there  saw  the  touching  spec- 
tacle of  many  children  gathered  about  it  weeping 
as  though  their  hearts  would  break.  They  heard 
some  of  that  which  was  going  on  within,  the  va- 
ried and  thrilling  experience  of  those  cleansed  of 
their  sins,  and  it  had  pierced  their  souls.  The 
heart  of  the  good  missionary  was  moved.  He  de- 
termined to  hold  special  services  for  their  benefit. 
He  did  so,  and  was  rewarded.  Many  were  con- 
verted and  brought  rejoicing  into  the  Church. 

"  Rev.  John  R.  Pickett,  from  the  Black  Swamp 
Mission,  South  Carolina,  also  wrote  of  special  ef- 
forts made  by  him  among  the  children,  which 
were  crowned  with  rich  results.  He  also  spoke 
of  the  families  of  the  owners  and  overseers  keep- 
ing up  the  catechising  in  his  absence. 

"  This  year  South  Carolina  and  Georgia  alone 
raised  nearly  $10,000  for  Missions — that  is,  basing 
it  upon  the  two-thirds  plan.  That  it  was  in  excess 
of  this  is  strongly  evidenced  by  the  report  of  the 
Rev.  Thomas  C.  Benning,  Conference  Treasurer 
of  the  Georgia  Conference,  giving  the  amount  of 
appropriations  for  missions  from  that  Conference 
as  $6,282,  and  adding  these  words:  '•mostly  for 
uiissions  to  people  of  color.'  Anotlier  significant 
matter  is  that  Mr.  Benning  says  in  his  report  that 


Plantation  Work  Continued  to  iS^^.        185 

'  it  is  less  this  year  than  it  has  ever  been  before.' 
These  words  alone  will  show  that  the  amounts 
civen  in  the  statistical  tables  are  far  below 
what  they  ought  to  be.  It  must  ever  be  a  source 
of  regret  that  these  appropriations  for  the  support 
of  slave  missions  were  not  separated.  The  total 
amount  contributed  by  the  South  Carolina  Con- 
ference for  the  year  1837  was  $7,246.78,  $2,156.- 
16  of  which  was  contributed  by  the  planters  of  the 
different  missions. 

"At  the  anniversary  of  the  Georgia  Missionary 
Societ}^,  held  at  Athens,  Ga.,  in  January,  1838,  it 
v/as  resolved  that  renewed  efforts  should  be  put 
forth  in  behalf  of  the  colored  people  of  the  sea- 
coast.  The  peculiarities  of  their  location,  se- 
cluded from  the  circuits,  called  for  special  efforts 
to  give  them  the  advantages  of  the  gospel.  Many 
of  them  had  never  heard  preaching  from  a  white 
man's  lips  until  they  heard  it  from  those  of  the 
faithful  Methodist  missionary.  The  picture  pre- 
sented of  their  wretched  condition,  '  intrenched 
within  rice  dams  and  surrounded  by  the  pestilen- 
tial miasma,  an  isolated,  cast-off  race,  unvisited 
by  the  common  preacher,'  was  truly  startling,  and 
surely  did  call  for  the  most  zealous  exercise  of 
Christian  endeavor.  But  where  the  '  common 
preacher  '  hesitated  to  go,  there  went  the  Meth- 
odist missionary,  undismayed  by  danger,  strong  in 
the  mighty  upholding  of  his  own  zeal  and  faith  in 
a  sustaining  God. 

"At  the  beginning  of  1838  much  good  was  done 


i86  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

the  mission  cause  through  a  widely  circulated  ser- 
mon delivered  by  the  Rev.  George  Freeman,  of 
Raleigh,  N.  C,  on  'Duty  to  the  Slaves.'  He 
took  for  his  text  Colossians  iv.  i :  '  Masters,  give 
unto  your  servants  that  which  is  just  and  equal; 
knowing  that  ye  also  have  a  Master  in  heaven,' 
Never  had  a  more  forceful  sermon  been  delivei'ed 
on  a  more  vital  question. 

"  Many  affecting  scenes  were  constantly  taking 
place  between  the  missionary  and  the  people. 
They  seemed  the  most  grateful  of  creatures,  as 
if  they  could  not  do  too  much  for  him  who  had 
come  to  lead  them  out  of  the  darkness.  Rev. 
John  N.  Davis,  writing  from  the  Pocotaligo  Mis- 
sion, South  Carolina  Conference,  related  a  most 
touching  incident  that  took  place  at  the  close  of 
his  first  sermon  on  a  plantation  just  added  to  the 
mission.  As  he  closed  his  sermon,  man}^  of  the 
poor  creatures  thronged  about  him,  while  with 
tears  rolling  from  their  eyes  they  said:  '  T'anky, 
massa;  t'anky,  missie;  t'anky,  my  good  preacher, 
fur  de  gospel.'  It  is  needless  to  add  in  the  mis- 
sionary's own  words,  'it  was  a  moving  scene.' 
Doubtless  those  tears  fell  upon  his  already  faithful 
heart  with  the  dew  of  consecration. 

"  Rev.  Edwin  White,  on  the  Burke  County  Mis- 
sion in  Georgia,  also  writes  of  a  similar  touching 
experience  in  an  assembly  of  weeping  negroes,  to 
whom  he  had  just  preached,  crowding  up  about 
him  to  bless  him  for  the  liofht  and  comfort  he  had 
brought  them.     In  that  last  day  how  many  such 


PlcDitatioii  Work  Continued  to  1S44..        187 

pearls — words  of  blessing  and  of  gratitude  from 
the  lips  of  the  poor  slave — will  shine  in  the  crown 
of  these  noble,  Godlike  men  who  counted  nothing 
dear,  not  even  life  itself,  that  they  might  minister 
to  the  spiritual  comfort  of  such  as  these ! 

"Many  other  similar  instances  could  be  re- 
corded ;  indeed,  they  were  constantly  occurring. 
Nor  were  the  children  less  grateful.  Revs. 
Thomas  Ledbetter  and  WiUiam  C.  Kirkland,  after 
writing  many  interesting  things  of  their  work  on 
the  Beaufort  Mission,  spoke  of  the  great  joy  with 
which  the  children  of  the  various  plantations  of  the 
islands  hailed  the  period  of  the  missionary's  regular 
visits.  How  eagerly  they  ran  to  open  the  gate !  how 
they  crowded  up  about  him,  touching  his  hands, 
his  clothing  with  the  most  affectionate  freedom,  yet 
with  an  unmistakable  air  of  veneration  mingled 
throughout  it  all.  When  he  went  away,  there  was 
the  same  readiness  to  open  gates,  but  not  the  same 
air  of  cheerful  alacrity,  while  the  tear-filled  eye  and 
the  tremulous  lip  showed  the  depth  of  feeling  even 
in  their  young  hearts,  as  they  looked  at  him  wist- 
fully with  the  earnest  reminder:  '  Come  back  again 
soon,  sir.' 

"  That  the  gospel  preached  by  the  faithful  mis- 
sionary had  power  to  reach  all  hearts,  the  fol- 
lowing incident,  related  by  Rev.  S.  D.  Laney, 
missionary  to  the  Pedee  Mission,  will  show:  'Jim 
had  stolen  some  of  his  master's  corn,  and  was 
absent  from  the  preaching,  and  on  my  inquir- 
ing after  him,  one  remarked  thus*.    *'Ah,  massa, 


i88  The  Gospel  aiuofig  the  Slaves. 

he  'fraid  you  preach  at  him,  dat  make  him  no  come 
to-day."  One  who  is  guilty  of  an  offense  of  this 
sort  is  looked  upon  with  general  contempt.  This 
is  an  effect  of  the  gospel  being  preached  to  them.' 

"At  the  end  of  the  first  decade  of  slave  missions 
the  ground  covered,  in  South  Carolina  alone,  ex- 
tended from  Waccamaw  Neck  and  Pedee  River 
on  the  east  to  the  Savannah  River  on  the  west, 
and  embraced  234  plantations.  These  plantations 
were  served  by  17  missionaries  under  the  general 
supervision  of  three  superintendents.  These  mis- 
sionaries preached  at  97  appointments,  and  had 
under  their  regular  pastoral  charge  6,556  Church 
members,  to  whom  they  furnished  the  preaching 
and  administered  the  sacraments  and  discipline  of 
the  Christian  Church.  And,  further,  they  had 
under  regular  catechetical  instruction  25,025  negro 
children. 

*'  Truly  these  active  missionaries  had  not  been  as 
'dumb  driven  cattle,'  but  as  '  heroes  in  the  strife.' 
Imperishable  should  be  the  record  to  their  memory. 

"  The  year  1839  opened  with  54  special  missions 
to  people  of  color  throughout  the  various  South- 
ern Conferences  having  them  in  their  bounds, 
with  a  membership  in  this  mission  famil}'  alone  of 
between  18,000  and  20,000.  This  did  not  include 
the  members  in  regular  charges  or  the  colored 
members  in  separate  Churches  in  the  cities  and 
larger  towns,  known  as  city  colored  charges,  but 
simply  included  those  served  by  the  regular  plan- 
tation missionary. 


RKV.  J.  A.   BEEBE, 
Bishop  of  the  Colored  M.  E.  Church. 
(See  page  XSO.) 


Plantation  Work  Continued  to  1S44.        189 

*'  Some  of  these  'African  charges,'  as  the  city 
colored  Churches  were  styled,  were  at  several 
places  in  excess  of  the  white  membership.  Very 
few  of  them  that  did  not  run  largely  into  the  hun- 
dreds. Thus  the  Kentucky  Conference,  that  only 
reported  in  the  bounds  of  its  two  regular  missions 
to  the  slaves  313  members,  had  in  the  Louisville 
colored  charge  alone  495  members.  The  largest 
colored  charge  of  all  was  that  in  South  Carolina, 
at  Charleston,  which  numbered  3,742.  The  next 
largest  was  the  Sharp  Street  and  Asbury,  of  Balti- 
more, 2,600;  and  the  next  the  Nashville  African 
Mission,  well  up  in  the  hundreds.  Virginia,  which 
up  to  this  time  had  not  reported  a  single  special 
slave  mission,  had,  in  all  the  larger  cities  and  many 
of  the  small  towns,  flourishing  colored  charges, 
noticeably  that  at  Norfolk,  which  numbered  337 — 
seven  more  than  the  white  membership  of  the  city. 
The  total  colored  membership  for  1838  throughout 
the  various  Conferences  having  special  slave  mis- 
sions— the  Georgia,  South  Carolina,  Kentuck}'-, 
Mississippi,  Alabama,  and  Tennessee — was  58,313, 
of  which  27,630  were  in  South  Carolina  and  10,- 
180  in  Georgia.  This  does  not  include  the  other 
Southern  Conferences,  each  of  which  had  a  large 
slave  membership  scattered  through  the  various 
circuits  and  charges.  The  total  colored  member- 
ship of  1839,  ty^"S  ^"  ^^^  Southern  body,  was  84,- 
332.  In  1839  Texas,  too,  added  her  first  colored 
charge — 43  members. 

"  In   1841  Virginia  established    her   first    slave 


ipo  The  Gospel  among  i/ie  Slaves. 

mission  (the  Prince  Edward  Colored  Mission), 
which  was  put  in  charge  of  Rev.  Matthew  N. 
Dance.  From  that  time  on  we  find  his  name 
constantly  associated  with  this  work,  as  also  those 
of  Benjamin  Devaney,  Samuel  Phillips,  and  Lewis 
Skidmore. 

"  Kentucky  had,  in  the  meantime,  thrown  her  two 
missions  into  the  regular  circuit  work,  and  cared  for 
them  there.  In  the  next  year  after  Virginia,  1842, 
the  North  Carolina  Conference,  also,  came  to  the 
front  with  her  first  regular  slave  mission,  the  Roa- 
noke Mission,  in  the  Washington  District.  But  up 
to  this  time  she,  too,  had  been  far  from  idle  in  the 
matter  of  the  spiritual  care  of  her  slaves.  Like 
the  Kentucky,  Holston,  and  other  Conferences, 
she  had  made  faithful  provision  for  them  through 
her  circuits  and  charges.  At  the  time  of  the  es- 
tablishment of  her  first  regular  slave  mission,  she 
showed  a  total  colored  membership  of  9,373.  The 
names  of  some  of  the  noble  veterans  who  were  the 
earliest  in  this  work  from  the  North  Carolina  Con- 
ference were  Bennet  T.  Blake,  William  Carter, 
R.  J.  Carson,  Joseph  Goodman,  and  Thomas  J. 
Cassaday. 

"In  this  year  (1842)  Arkansas  established  her 
second  regular  slave  mission,  or  what  was  at  that 
time  her  only  one,  as  the  other  had  been  put  into 
the  regular  charge.  This  second  mission,  which 
was  the  first  she  kept  running  as  a  regular  mission, 
was  known  as  the  'Red  River  Colored  Mission.' 
It  is  but  proper  to  remark  at  this  point  that  Arkan- 


Plantation  Woi'k  Continued  to  184.^.        191 

sas  was  actively  engaged  in  caring  for  the  Indians, 
numbers  of  whom  were  within  her  borders.  But 
she  too  had  been  faithful  in  the  care  of  her  col- 
ored people,  showing  at  that  time  a  total  colored 
membership  of  828.  The  names  of  A.  L.  Kava- 
naugh,  Henry  Hubbard,  and  Alexander  Avery  ap- 
pear prominent  among  the  first  of  her  slave  mis- 
sionaries. 

"  South  Carolina,  Georgia,  Mississippi,  Tennes- 
see, and  Alabama  were  advancing  in  the  good 
cause.  Plantation  after  plantation  was  put  into  the 
hands  of  the  missionary.  East,  South,  and  West 
fields  stretched  white  to  the  harvest.  Louder  and 
more  prolonged  grew  the  cry  for  more  laborers. 
The  Church  responded  with  promptness  and  en- 
ergy. Said  one  of  the  most  zealous  of  the  Con- 
ference Treasurers  at  that  time:  '  Though  our 
funds  are  exhausted  and  we  know  not  where  the 
next  are  to  come  from,  still  this  work  must  go  on, 
these  missions  to  the  slaves  must  be  kept  up,  cost 
what  it  may.'  He  but  echoed  the  sentiment  of 
every  Christian  heart  when  those  words  were  ut- 
tered. Poor  Ethiopia  struggled  in  the  bonds  of  pa- 
gan darkness — bonds  far  more  terrible  than  any 
that  bound  her  bodily.  Her  wailing  cry  fell  on 
the  ears  of  a  Christian  brotherhood,  who  heard, 
pitied,  and  succored. 

"  In  the  meantime  the  work  had  spread  even  to 
the  wild  frontiers  of  Texas.  Through  the  kind- 
ness of  Dr.  Homer  S.  Thrall  we  are  enabled  to 
give  a  few  points  touching  the  early  mission  work 
13 


192  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

to  the  slaves  in  Texas.  These  would  otherwise 
have  been  left  in  obscurity,  as  the  Minutes  do  not 
give  these  missions  as  colored  missions,  but  sim- 
ply as  missions.  This  makes  the  author  fear  that 
injustice  has  been  done  in  other  directions  and 
many  missions  that  were  colored  missions  have 
been  left  unrecorded.  This  difficulty  we  have  en- 
deavored to  avoid  as  far  as  possible  by  noting  the 
membership  given,  whether  under  white  or  colored 
column.  But  often  this  discouraging  line  has  met 
the  eye:    '  No  returns  given.' 

"Says  Dr.  Thrall:  'The  first  report  of  mem- 
bers of  the  Methodist  Church  in  Texas  was  in 
1839,  and  there  were  reported  then  43  colored 
members.  We  have  but  brief  records  of  the  work 
of  Dr.  Martin  Ruter,  the  first  superintendent  of 
the  mission  work  in  Texas;  but  in  those  notices 
it  is  stated  that  he,  and  indeed  all  the  preachers, 
devoted  Sunday  afternoon  to  the  slave  population, 
wherever  there  were  slaves  to  preach  to.  There 
was  a  universal  willingness  on  the  part  of  the 
planters  to  have  their  negroes  preached  to  and 
catechised.  The  first  preacher  appointed  exclu- 
sively to  the  slaves  was  Jesse  Hord  to  the  Brazoria 
Mission,  in  1843.  At  a  later  period  J.  W.  Devil- 
biss,  Joseph  P.  Sneed,  Robert  Crawford,  Francis 
Wilson,  M.  Yell,  and  others  equally  worthy  were 
employed  in  the  work.  At  the  organization  of  the 
Texas  Annual  Conference,  in  1840,  there  were  re- 
ported 230  colored  members.  Ten  years  later 
there  were  1,847,  and  in  i860,  7,440,  with  20  mis- 


Plantation  Work  Continued  to  i8^^         193 

sions  to  the  colored  people,  mostly,  however,  con- 
nected with  white  charges,  the  same  preacher 
serving  both  congregations.'  " 

The  remaining  notices,  required  to  bring  the 
history  of  the  work  up  to  the  year  1844,  Vv'ill  be 
found  in  the  various  contributions  to  this  volume 
made  by  the  missionaries  themselves,  and  in  the 
extracts  from  a  large  variety  of  articles  which  will 
not  readily  conform  to  the  division  of  the  work 
adopted  by  the  editor.  It  is  our  purpose  to  show, 
firstly,  the  interest  taken  in  the  salvation  of  the 
slaves  by  the  white  race  of  the  South,  slaveholders 
and  nonslaveholders  alike;  secondly,  we  propose 
to  show  that  the  division  of  the  Church  in  1844 
emphasized  and  enlarged  that  interest,  but  did  not 
create  it. 

For  this  purpose  we  think  that  the  year  1844 
forms  a  definite  historical  era.  Whatever  existed 
prior  to  that  time  was  not  the  product  of  that  time, 
and  inasmuch  as  the  sending  of  the  gospel  to  the 
African  slaves  was  an  enterprise  that  had  grown 
into  proportions  nearly  or  quite  equal  to  the  mis- 
sionary efforts  in  behalf  of  the  white  race,  the 
reader  will  be  able  to  see  how  greatly  the  cause  of 
Christ  was  placed  in  peril  by  the  action  of  the 
General  Conference  of  1844. 

In  order  to  bring  the  statistics  of  the  plantation 
work  from  1829  to  1844  distinctly  into  view,  we 
append  a  table  which  gives  in  regular  order  from 
year  to  year  the  number  of  missions  to  slaves  es- 
tablished by  the  various  Conferences,  the  number 


194 


The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 


of  missionaries,  the  number  of  Church  members 
among  the  African  slaves,  and  amounts  appropri- 
ated by  the  several  Conferences  for  the  support  of 

the  w^ork. 

Statistics  from  1829  to  1844. 


Year, 


1829 
1830 
1831 
1831 
1S32 
1832 
1832 
1833 
1833 
1833 
1834 
1834 
1834 
1834 
1835 
1835 
1835 
1835 
1836 
1836 
1836 
1836 
1836 
1837 
1837 
1837 
1837 
1837 
1837 
1837 
1838 
1838 
1838 
1838 
1838 
1838 
1838 
1839 
1839 


Conference. 


South  Carolina. 
South  Carolina. 
South  Carolina. 

Georgia 

South  Carolina. 

Georgia 

Tennessee 

South  Carolina. 

Georgia 

Tennessee 

South  Carolina. 

Georgia 

Tennessee 

Mississippi 

South  Carolina. 

Georgia 

Tennessee 

Mississippi.  ... 
South  Carolina. 

Georgia 

Tennessee 

Mississippi 

Alabama 

South  Carolina. 

Georgia 

Tennessee 

Mississippi 

Alabama 

Kentucky 

Arkansas 

South  Carolina. 

Georgia 

Tennessee 

Mississippi 

Alabama 

Kentucky 

Arkansas 

South  Carolina. 
Georgia 


Missions. 


2 
3 
3 
I 

2 

4 

2 

9 

5 

I 

10 

9 
2 
I 
8 
6 
2 
I 

9 
8 
2 
I 
I 
10 
6 
2 

4 
2 
I 
I 
12 
6 
S 
S 
2 
I 
I 

18 
16 


Members. 


417 
1,077 
1,242 

"5 
1,395 

936 

190 
1,426 
i,ioq 

819 
2,913 
1,385 

824 


3,134 

1,266 

621 


4,417 

1,357 

701 

523 

139 

9,69 

1,298 

810 

459 
•^8 


6,556 

1,381 

960 

710 


71S 

130 

7,160 

3,864 


Mission- 
aries. 


3 
3 
I 

3 

4 
2 

II 

5 

I 

II 

9 
2 
I 
9 
7 
3 
I 

12 

II 

2 

I 

I 

12 

7 
2 

4 

2 

I 
I 

13 
6 

5 
5 
2 
I 
I 
24 
19 


Amount 
Appropri'd. 


$  216  00 

727  67 


1,519  45 

856  25 

656  35 

3,600  00 

25,00  00 

465  00 

2,61  c;  00 

2,Si8  65 

850  00 

2,821  42 
2,445  00 


4,194  00 

2,749  58 

950  00 

757  72 

165  00 

4,831  20 

4,118  00 


1,440  00 
745  65 


204  50 

4,530  36 

2,860  22 

1,056  72 

1,485  40 

911  42 

756  00 


4,4.64  80 
3,398  74 


Plantation   Work  Continued  to  18^4..       195 


Statistics  from  1829  to  1844  (Continued). 


Year. 


1839 
1839 
1839 
1839 
1840 
1840 
1840 
1840 
1840 
1840 
1841 
1841 
1841 
1841 
1841 
1841 
1841 
1841 
1842 
1842 
1842 
1842 
1842 
1842 
1842 
1842 
1842 
1843 
1843 
1843 
1843 
1843 
1843 
1843 
1843 
1843 
1844 
1S44 
1844 
1844 
1844 
1844 
1844 
1844 
1S44 
1844 


Conference. 


Mississippi. . . . 

Alabama 

Tennessee 

Kentucky 

South  Carolina 

Georgia 

Alabama 

Mississippi.  . . . 

Tennessee 

Memphis 

South  Carolina 

Georgia 

Alabama 

Mississippi. . . . 

Tennessee 

INTemphis 

Baltimore 

Virginia  

South  Carolina 

Georgia 

Alabama 

Mississippi. . . . 

Tennessee 

Memphis 

North  Carolina 

Arkansas 

Virginia  

South  Carolina 

Georgia 

Mississippi. . . . 

Memphis 

Alabama 

Tennessee 

A^irginia 

North  Carolina 

Arkansas 

South  Carolina 

Georgia 

Memphis , 

Mississippi. . . . , 

Alabama , 

Tennessee , 

Florida 

North  Carolina 

Virginia  

Arkansas 


Missions. 

Members. 

Mission- 
aries. 

10 

3,672 

12 

6 

1,671 

6 

9 

2,316 

10 

2 

50s 

2 

18 

7,631 

24 

15 

3,972 

17 

9 

2,691 

9 

8 

3,90s 

10 

7 

3,251 

8 

4 

769 

4 

16 

7,557 

21 

12 

3,913 

14 

8 

2,793 

8 

10 

4,302 

12 

5 

1,120 

5 

5 

923 

5 

2 

2 

I 

I 

17 

7,866 

25 

13 

3,787 

16 

8 

2,009 

9 

7 

2,466 

8 

4 

1,624 

4 

7 

1,567 

8 

I 

I 

I 

125 

I 

2 

261 

2 

16 

7,262 

23 

II 

3,291 

13 

9 

2,187 

10 

9 

2,261 

10 

6 

2,131 

7 

4 

696 

4 

3 

428 

3 

2 

153 

2 

I 

138 

I 

16 

7,922 

21 

9 

3,051 

II 

10 

2,655 

12 

10 

3,419 

12 

9 

2,146 

10 

6 

1,707 

6 

3 

S30 

3 

2 

148 

2 

2 

357 

2 

I 

128 

I 

Amount 
Appropri'd. 


.3,741    26 

1,800  00 

2,700  00 

600  00 

3,780  90 

3,100  00 

2,326  00 

2,400  00 

2,100  00 

1,200  00 

4,950  80 

4,821   06 

2,160  24 

2,432  00 

1,213  43 

1,500  00 

600  00 

300  00 

5,576  79 

3,978  45 

3,028  25 

3,028  96 

1,200  00 

2,037  10 

300  00 

300  00 

600  00 

7,695  22 

4,464  55 

2,392  50 

1,812  25 

3,364  95 

1,512  36 

900  00 

908  50 

300  00 

7,356  20 

3,870  30 

2,134  10 

1,624  95 

2,864  85 

1,820  75 

905  90 

902  20 

600  00 

300  00 


196  TJie  Gospel  ainong  the  Slaves. 

Thus  it  appears  that  from  the  small  beginning 
of  the  two  plantation  missions  in  1829,  with  2  mis- 
sionaries and  417  members,  within  fifteen  years 
the  work  had  grown  to  68  missions,  71  missiona- 
ries, and  21,063  members.  The  amount  appropri- 
ated by  the  South  Carolina  Conference  was  so 
small  that  no  record  had  been  made  of  it  for  the 
year  1829,  but  in  1844  the  Southern  Conferences 
paid  $22,379.25  for  this  work,  South  Carolina 
leading  the  list  with  $7,356.20. 

It  has  already  been  stated  that  the  actual  amount 
expended  cannot  be  accurately  known  because 
many  contributions  were  given  under  circum- 
stances that  rendered  it  difficult  to  ascertain  the 
amounts  and  the  names  of  the  contributors.  Pres- 
ents in  kind  to  the  family  of  the  missionary,  valua- 
ble as  the  money  itself,  could  not  always  be  rated 
in  that  way  for  obvious  reasons,  yet  they  lessened 
the  cash  requisitions  upon  the  missionary  treasury 
and  gave  great  aid  to  the  cause.  After  making 
as  thorough  an  examination  as  the  case  will  allow, 
there  can  be  little  doubt  that  the  Southern  Confer- 
ences contributed  fully  $200,000  to  the  special 
work  of  sending  the  gospel  to  the  slaves  on  large 
plantations  between  the  years  1829  and  1844. 

Of  the  total  amounts  reported  to  the  Annual 
Conferences,  $168,458.87,  the  South  Carolina 
Conference  paid  $58,879.81:  Georgia,  $41,980.- 
80;  Mississippi,  $19,302.79;  Alabama,  $17,366.- 
36;  Tennessee,  $14,524.56;  Memphis,  $8,683.45 ; 
Virginia,  $2,400;  North  Carolina,  $2,110.70;  Ar- 
kansas, $1,104.50;  Florida,  $905.90;  Baltimore, 
$600;   and  Kentucky,  $600. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 
Notes  from  the  Pioneers. 

NO  description  of  any  movement  can  be  better 
understood  than  by  giving  close  attention  to 
the  words  of  those  who  were  the  leaders  in  that 
movement.     Many  of  the  pioneers  in  the  planta- 
tion mission  work  have  left  such  records  to  the 
Church,  and  from  these  we  will  endeavor  to  give 
the  reader  an  insight  of  this  enterprise  at  its  com- 
mencement.    Tedious  details  will  be  avoided,  and 
much  of  the  matter  that  was  instructive  and  profit- 
able when  these  accounts  were  written,   must,  of 
necessity,  be  omitted.     Time  has  rendered  many 
allusions  obscure,  and  incidents  that  derived  their 
chief  interest  from  local  causes  have  ceased  to  be 
attractive  to  the  modern  reader.     For  these  rea- 
sons we  shall  abridge  from  time  to  time,  and  some- 
times it  may  be  that  we  shall  remodel  a  communi- 
cation.    The  object  is  to  unfold  the  surroundings, 
and  to  give  to  the  mind  of  the  reader  a  distinct 
picture  of  this  missionary  work. 

The  first  of  these  "  Notes  "  was  written  by  Rev. 
G.  W.  Moore,  of  the  South  CaroHna  Conference. 
As  fair  samples  of  these  sketches,  we  will  vouch 
for  the  reader's  interest  in  the  details  of  "Life 

among  the  Lowly." 

(197) 


198  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

COMBAHEE,     PON    PoN,    BeAUFORT,    AND    CoOPER 

River  Missions. 

By  Rev.  George  W.  Moore,  of  the  South  Carolina  Conference. 

The  Combahee  Mission  may  be  considered  a 
child  of  Providence.  It  had  its  rise  in  the  follow- 
ing manner;  A  Mrs.  Bearfield,  a  pious  old  lady,  a 
member  of  the  M.  E.  Church,  was  employed  by 
Mrs.  Charles  Baring  to  look  after  and  attend  the 
sick.  Through  her  an  invitation  was  extended 
from  Mrs.  Baring  to  one  of  the  preachers  of  the 
Black  Swamp  Circuit  to  visit  the  plantation  and 
preach  to  their  people.  The  preacher,  however, 
did  not  attend,  in  consequence  of  Mr.  Baring  not 
being  at  home  at  the  time,  he  supposing  it  would 
not  be  prudent  for  him  to  do  so.  At  his  failure  to 
come  Mrs.  Baring  was  greatly  disappointed. 

Being  in  the  neighborhood  and  hearing  of  Mrs. 
Baring's  disappointment,  I  proposed  to  go,  and  ac- 
cordingly did  so.  I  stayed  with  Sister  Bearfield, 
and  went  out  that  night  and  preached  to  the  blacks 
in  a  large  room  near  Mrs.  Baring's  dwelling.  We 
had  quite  a  good  meeting.  Sister  Bearfield  got  so 
happy  she  shouted.  Mrs.  Baring  had  company 
that  evening,  among  the  guests  being  the  Episco- 
pal minister.  He,  with  the  family,  I  was  after- 
ward told,  stood  near  the  window  during  a  part  of 
the  service.  Soon  after  the  meeting  closed,  Mrs. 
Baring  sent  a  servant  with  refreshments  to  me  and 
an  invitation  to  call  on  her  the  next  morning.  I 
did  so,  and  had  quite  a  pleasing  interview  with  her, 
in  which  she  expressed  her  satisfaction  at  my  com- 


Notes  from  the  Pioneers.  199 

ing  and  desire  for  the  continuance  of  my  visits  to 
her  people.  This  was  in  the  year  1828.  Brother 
Samuel  W.  Capers  and  myself,  being  on  the  Or- 
angeburg Circuit,  our  appointment  reaching  down 
near  Mr.  Baring's  plantation,  we  embraced  that 
place  in  the  plan  of  the  circuit,  and  preached  there 
regularly.  The  next  year,  I  think  it  was,  it  was 
set  off  for  regular  mission  work,  and  Rev.  John 
Honour  appointed  missionary.  The  year  follow- 
ing I  was  sent  to  the  mission,  Brother  Honour 
having  died  in  the  work.  This  year  the  mission 
also  embraced  Mr.  John  Dawson's  plantation  in 
St.  John's  and  was  called  the  St.  John's,  Pon  Pon, 
and  Combahee  Mission.  There  was  a  church 
built  in  the  vicinity  of  Mr.  Dawson's  place  for 
the  blacks,  which  still  exists,  and  in  which  I 
preached  to  a  large  congregation  of  devout  wor- 
shipers last  Sunday.  The  place  is  now  connected 
with  the  Cooper  River  Mission,  and  embraces 
members  from  several  plantations  in  the  neighbor- 
hood. 

The  Pon  Pon  Mission,  when  I  took  charge  of  it, 
embraced  Col.  Morris's  place  on  the  Bluff,  with 
several  places  on  the  other  side  of  the  river  be- 
longing to  the  estate,  and  Gov.  Aiken's  place  on 
Jehossee  Island.  I  generally  preached  in  an  old 
cooper  shop  opposite  the  Bluff  Place,  where  the 
negroes  from  all  the  other  plantations  attended. 
Here  we  usually  held  a  sunrise  prayer  meeting 
and  catechised  the  children  from  the  estate  place. 
I  have  often  been  interested  in  seeing  the  little  fel- 


200  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

lows  running  on  the  rice  bank  toward  the  cooper 
shop,  and  entering  almost  out  of  breath.  The  first 
thing  they  would  do  would  be  to  clasp  my  hand 
and  tell  me  "  how-dy,"  and  while  upon  my  knees 
in  prayer  they  would  get  as  near  as  possible,  some 
of  them  leaning  against  my  feet  with  their  heads. 
The  negroes  from  the  Bluff  and  the  estate  all  wor- 
shiped in  the  cooper  shop,  and  O  how  often  has 
my  heart  rejoiced  in  their  joy  at  the  knowledge  of 
the  gospel  of  Christ  Jesus  ! 

Col.  Morris  and  others  would  attend  sometimes 
with  their  families  and  with  the  overseers  and  their 
families,  and  often  around  the  same  altar  you  could 
see  several  of  those  white  persons  mingling  their 
cries  for  mercy  with  those  of  the  blacks,  and  many 
together  found  the  pearl  of  great  price. 

Among  the  most  prominent  of  the  colored  lead- 
ers on  this  work  there  was  January,  a  very  faith- 
ful man,  who  generally  held  a  long  reed  in  his 
hand,  and  if  he  saw  any  one  asleep  he  would 
give  them  a  tap  on  the  head  to  wake  them  up. 
In  the  love  feast  if  any  one  would  speak  as  he 
thought  a  little  too  long  he  would  cry  out:  "Short 
and  sweet,  my  hearty,  short  and  sweet." 

These  love  feasts  were  precious  seasons,  and 
highly  prized  by  the  members  of  the  Church. 
You  could  see  two  or  three  up  at  one  time  wait- 
ing to  speak.  On  one  occasion  one  of  the  mem- 
bers, hearing  some  of  the  others  speak  of  their 
trials  and  difficulties,  said:  "My  bredren,  I  hab 
my  dif'culties  an'  trials  too,  but  de  Lo'd  so  good 


Notes  from  the  Pioneers.  201 

to  me  I  ain't  hab  time  to  t'ink  ob  dem  fur  de  mer- 
cies he  sends  me  long  wid  'em."  Another  said; 
"My  bredren,  I  hab  my  hard  bone  fur  to  chaw, 
an'  my  bitter  pill  fur  to  swaller,  but  bredren,  I  tell 
you  what,  'ligion  makes  de  bone  turn  to  marrow 
an'  de  bitter  to  sweet.  'Ligion's  jus'  like  de 
spring  in  de  back  country,  de  furder  you  go  de 
sweeter  de  water  tastes." 

Their  sweet  songs,  sung  with  a  fervidness  inde- 
scribable, added  much  to  the  pleasure  of  the  occa- 
sion. 

We  generally  preached  at  the  estate  place  in  the 
morning,  and  in  the  afternoon  at  Jehossee.  Here 
we  preached  in  a  room  next  to  the  hospital,  so  that 
the  sick  might  hear  as  well  as  those  who  were  not 
sick.  Gov.  Aiken  was  exceeding  kind  to  us;  so 
was  his  overseer,  Mr.  Bagwell.  The  first  letter  I 
received  from  Gov.  Aiken,  inclosing  his  donation 
of  $100,  impressed  me  sensibly.  It  had  the  same 
effect  upon  Bishop  Andrew,  who  asked  me  to  let 
him  keep  it. 

The  overseers  would  generally  send  up  to  the  es- 
tate place  for  us  a  large  boat  rowed  by  six  or  eight 
hands.  I  remember  a  conversation  that  took  place 
between  Dr.  Capers  and  one  of  the  hands  on  the 
boat.  The  Dr.  asked  him,  among  other  things, 
how  he  liked  the  overseer,  which  is  the  test  ques- 
tion among  the  negroes.  In  reply  he  said :  "  Mas- 
sa  he  good  man;  he  nebber  promise  nuffin  he  no 
gib  you.  If  he  promise  you  whippin',  you's  as 
sho'  to  git  'em  as  if  you  had  'em  on  you'  back." 


202  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

I  soon  found  the  secret  of  the  good  government 
on  this  place  ;  it  was  decision  of  character.  I  vis- 
ited the  place  at  all  times  during  the  year,  and  I 
never,  to  my  recollection,  heard  the  overseer  swear, 
get  in  a  passion,  or  whip  a  negro  during  all  that  pe- 
riod, and  it  was  all  because  the  negroes  understood 
that  he  meant  what  he  said,  and  a  promise  was  as 
good  as  performed. 

I  have  already  mentioned  that  in  preaching  at 
Mr.  Charles  Baring's  we  occupied  a  room  near  to 
his  dwelling.  Adjoining  this  was  another  of  small- 
er dimensions,  where  the  white  persons  who  at- 
tended sat,  among  whom  could  generally  be  seen 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Baring,  who  took  a  deep  interest  in 
the  welfare  of  their  people.  I  have  often  seen 
Mrs.  Baring,  when  the  negroes  were  singing,  catch 
the  motion  of  their  bodies  and  do  just  as  they  did. 
On  one  occasion,  when  taking  my  seat  at  the  din- 
ner table,  Mr.  Baring  took  my  hand,  and,  while 
under  the  influence  of  much  feeling,  said,  with  em- 
phasis: "Sir,  this  [referring  to  the  service  that 
had  just  taken  place]  must  do  good,  it  will  do 
good,  it  shall  do  good."  And  he  pressed  my  hand 
very  warmly  in  his.  At  another  time,  when  about 
leaving  for  their  summer  residence,  they  asked  me 
to  retire  with  them  to  a  private  room  and  there  en- 
gage in  prayer  for  the  salvation  of  their  people. 

On  one  occasion  I  preached  to  a  British  Admi- 
ral, who  was  an  American  born  citizen,  who  was  on 
a  visit  to  the  family.  He  sat  in  the  rear  of  the  ne- 
groes and  was  quite  attentive  during  the  service. 


Notes  fro7n  the  Pioneers.  203 

Mr.  Baring  was  most  generous  in  the  support  of 
the  mission,  and  I  beheve  at  one  time  carried  it 
entirely.  His  good  wife  was  not  one  whit  behind 
him  in  zeal.  Often  when  coming  from  the  serv- 
ice I  have  heard  her  say  to  him:  "Now,  Charles, 
I  hope  you  will  take  to  heart  what  Mr.  Moore  has 
said."     Noble  woman,  I  hope  she  is  in  heaven! 

The  Beaufort  Mission  was  attached  to  the  Com- 
bahee  and  Pon  Pon  in  1832,  and  John  R.  Coburn 
sent  with  me  to  serve  the  work.  The  Beaufort 
Mission  had  its  origin  through  a  religious  revival 
that  took  place  among  the  Baptists  and  Episcopa- 
lians in  Beaufort  and  vicinity,  instigated  by  Rev. 
Mr.  Daniel  Baker,  a  Presbyterian  minister.  The 
stores  were  closed  and  business  in  the  town  sus- 
pended for  several  days,  so  great  was  the  interest 
taken.  This  revival  caused  the  planters,  several 
of  whom  made  Beaufort  their  summer  residence, 
to  turn  their  attention  to  the  condition  of  their 
slaves.  Not  being  able  to  get  the  services  of  an 
Episcopal  or  Baptist  minister,  they,  through  the 
influence  of  Mr.  Pinckney,  who  at  the  time  had 
the  services  of  a  Methodist  minister  on  his  planta- 
tion on  the  Santee,  applied  to  our  Conference  for 
help,  and  Beaufort  Island  was  taken  in  along  with 
Combahee,  Pon  Pon,  and  Wappahoola,  the  mis- 
sion having  that  name  at  the  time. 

One  pleasing  part  of  the  Beaufort  work  was 
that  the  young  ladies  took  quite  an  active  part  in 
the  instruction  of  the  colored  children,  both  in 
Beaufort  and  on  the  plantations  of  their  fathers. 


204  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

Frequently  I  found  them  under  the  shade  of  the 
spreading  oak,  with  a  group  of  Httle  negroes  around 
them,  instructing  them  in  the  catechism.  The 
planters  too  were  active  in  the  work.  Some  of 
the  wealthiest  and  most  distinguished  gentlemen 
would  spend  every  Sabbath  afternoon  in  impart- 
ing religious  instruction  to  the  negroes,  young  and 
old. 

I  commenced  my  labors  in  Beaufort  by  preach- 
ing to  the  negroes  in  the  old  Tabernacle  Church, 
belonging  to  the  Baptists,  and  holding  prayer 
meetings,  with  the  assistance  of  a  few  Christian 
gentlemen,  in  the  Episcopal  lecture  room.  We 
soon  enjoyed  as  great  a  revival  among  the  colored 
people  as  there  had  been  among  the  whites.  I  ex- 
tended my  labors  to  Paris,  Cat,  St.  Helena,  Da- 
than,  Coosa,  Lady's,  Beaufort,  and  Big  Islands, 
and  on  the  mainland,  where  we  soon  enjoyed 
much  prosperity.  I  left  the  converts  free  to  join 
the  Church  of  their  choice.  At  one  time,  with 
my  full  consent,  over  two  hundred  of  them  were 
added  to  the  Baptist  Church. 

The  mission  at  that  time  was  similar  to  a  circuit, 
I  went  regularly  round,  week  day  and  Sunday. 
We  preached  on  Paris  Island  on  Sunday,  the  ne- 
groes from  all  the  plantations  attending.  We  had 
no  church  building  at  that  time,  but  occupied  a 
house  on  the  plantation  of  our  patron,  Mr.  Robert 
Means.  We  would  also  preach  at  some  of  the 
other  places  at  night.  I  recollect  on  one  occa- 
sion preaching  with   a   negro  holding  a  lightwood 


Notes  from  the  Pioneers.  205 

torch  at  my  back  to  throw  light  on  my  Bible  and 
hymn  book.  At  first  we  preached  at  two  or  three 
places  on  the  island  on  Sunday,  as  we  confined  our 
labors  a  good  deal  to  plantation  preaching.  We 
catechised  during  the  week,  and  also  preached  at 
several  places  on  week  days.  Robert  Means, 
Esq.,  Dr.  Thomas  Fuller,  Rev.  S.  Elhott,  Mrs. 
Habersham,  and  WilHam  Eddings  owned  the  en- 
tire island,  andw^e  had  access  to  all  the  plantations. 

There  were  two  very  remarkable  cases  of  the 
power  of  the  voice  of  conscience  that  occurred  on 
this  island.  After  one  of  my  sermons  on  Mr. 
Means' s  place,  a  woman  got  possession  of  the  key 
of  the  house  where  the  molasses  was  kept.  She 
went  to  steal  some  to  send  to  a  woman  on  a  neigh- 
boring island,  and  when  she  had  put  the  key  in 
the  door,  she  stood  motionless,  having  no  power 
to  open  it,  and  was  found  in  that  position  by  the 
driver.  I  was  an  eyewitness  to  her  agony.  She 
could  neither  move  nor  speak.  Afterward  she 
seemed  very  penitent,  especially  w'hen  she  knew 
that  I  was  acquainted  with  all  the  circumstances. 

The  other  case  was  that  of  a  man  who  attempted 
to  get  into  the  corncrib  and  carry  off  a  sack  of 
corn.  He  was  discovered  and  taken  down  by  the 
driver,  having  no  power  of  his  own,  either  to  go 
forward  or  to  come  back.  How  long  he  had  been 
in  that  position  was  not  known. 

From  Paris  Island  we  went  to  Cat  Island,  owned 
b}^  Rev.  R.  Fuller.  Here  we  preached  on  week 
nights,  the  negroes  assembling  in  a  vacant  house 


2o6  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

on  the  place.  On  one  occasion  when  Brother 
Coburn  preached,  the  negroes  were  so  much 
pleased  with  his  preaching  that  they  begged  him 
to  remain  for  the  next  day  and  preach  again. 
This  he  consented  to,  and  at  an  early  hour  the 
place  was  filled.  One  fact  I  have  often  noticed 
is  that  not  only  on  the  cotton  but  also  on  the  rice 
plantations  those  negroes  who  are  industrious  can 
accomplish  their  task  during  the  hoeing  season  by 
the  middle  of  the  day,  and  thus  have  the  afternoon 
to  themselves. 

Our  next  appointment  was  on  St.  Helena  Island 
at  Rev.  Mr.  Field's,  Col.  Stapleton's,  and  Dr. 
Scott's.  From  there  we  went  to  Dathan,  owned 
by  Dr.  B.  Sams  and  Mr.  L.  Sams,  his  brother. 
At  the  different  places  on  Dathan  we  preached  at 
night  and  catechised  the  children  during  the  day. 
At  Dr.  Sams's,  however,  we  preached  on  a  week 
day,  the  negroes  coming  out  of  the  fields  to  assem- 
ble at  the  appointed  time  in  a  large  cotton  house. 
At  the  close  of  the  services  the  smaller  negroes 
would  remain  to  be  catechised.  At  Mr.  L.  Sams's 
we  preached  at  night  and  had  some  most  attentive 
hearers.  Here  there  was  soon  erected  a  very 
comfortable  house  of  worship. 

From  Dathan  we  crossed  to  Mr.  Barnwell's 
place  on  Coosa  Island  and  preached  at  night,  and 
then  crossed  over  to  Lady's  Island  in  a  canoe, 
swimming  our  horses  alongside  the  boat.  Here 
we  also  preached  at  another  of  Mr.  Sams's  places. 

On  Beaufort  Island,  where  my  family  lived,  we 


Notes  frotn  the  Pioneers.  207 

preached  at  Mr.  Josiah  Smith's  plantation,  at  the 
Misses  Elhott's,  and  the  place  now  owned  by  Mr. 
L.  Sams.  All  these  appointments  w'ere  on  Sun- 
day. We  also  preached  at  Rev.  Mr.  Barnwell's, 
on  Laurel  Bay,  Broad  River.  Rev.  Mr.  Barn- 
well commenced  his  ministerial  career  by  preach- 
ing to  his  own  blacks  and  holding  prayer  meetings 
with  them  every  morning  before  sunrise.  We  also 
had  an  appointment  at  a  place  called  Myrtle  Bush 
in  an  old  brick  dwelling.  Here  we  had  some  re- 
freshing times.  Old  Palidore,  the  colored  leader, 
was  a  remarkable  man.  He  never  began  his 
prayer  without  calling  God's  blessing  upon  the 
missionary  who  had  come  so  tedious  a  journey  to 
tell  them  of  the  Saviour. 

While  preaching  at  this  place  once,  in  reference 
to  besetting  sins,  I  touched  upon  a  sin  then  preva- 
lent among  them,  that  of  taking  cotton  out  of  the 
house  and  carrying  it  to  the  field  and  bringing  it 
back  at  night  saying  that  they  had  picked  it. 
While  speaking  a  woman  fell  upon  her  knees 
and  looked  very  earnestly  at  me,  as  if  to  ques- 
tion:   '■'■How  did  you  find  that  out?  " 

One  of  the  most  flourishing  places  on  the  mis- 
sion was  Big  Island,  owned  by  Mr.  Thomas  Cuth- 
bert,  who  was  greatly  interested  for  his  people, 
and  among  the  most  liberal  patrons  of  the  work. 
He  very  soon  built  a  comfortable  church,  and  al- 
lowed his  people  to  attend  week  days  as  well  as 
Sundays.  On  preaching  days  he  would  not  per- 
mit any  of  his  people  to  do  anything  to  interfere 
14 


2o8  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

with  the  hour  of  service.  Every  time  we  visited 
his  place  he  gave  up  the  labor  of  sixty  hands  for 
half  the  day.  On  this  place  I  baptized  thirty  at 
one  time,  twenty-nine  by  immersion  and  one,  the 
driver,  by  pouring.  Mr.  Cuthbert  and  his  little 
daughter,  he  being  a  widower,  were  generally 
present  at  the  church.  He  would  always  com- 
mune with  his  people. 

In  going  to  and  fro  on  my  work  on  the  mission, 
I  have  ridden  horseback,  in  a  gig,  and  often  on  a 
negro's  back.  Sometimes  it  would  be  in  a  boat 
pushed  through  the  mud.  Often  I  have  had  to  be 
pushed  some  distance  through  the  mud  to  get  to 
water  to  baptize  the  negroes. 

Our  great  enemy  was  superstition,  which  pre- 
vailed to  an  alarming  extent.  Idolatry  too  entered 
greatly  into  negro  worship.  I  remember  on  one 
occasion,  while  preaching,  a  woman  was  so  much 
excited  she  rose  and  fell  at  my  feet,  embracing 
them  in  her  arms.  I  had  a  great  effort  to  contend 
with  this  inclination  to  man- worship.  At  another 
place,  when  leaving,  an  old  woman  came  after  me, 
begging  me  on  my  return  to  bring  my  "  big  book" 
with  me  and  find  out  whether  she  was  an  old  witch 
or  not.  I  thought  she  gave  me  a  difficult  task  to 
perform,  but  I  determined  to  please  her  so  far  as 
I  could.  Accordingly  on  my  return  I  read  to  her 
from  the  Bible  and  told  her  that,  according  to  that, 
she  was  not  an  old  witch,  and  advised  her  not  to 
play  the  witch  any  longer.  She  left  me  perfectly 
satisfied. 


Notes  fr 0711  the  Pioneers.  209 

I  have  already  stated  the  commencement  of  the 
Cooper  River  Mission,  where  I  am  now  laboring. 
The  mission  embraces  two  appointments  for 
preaching  on  the  western  side  of  the  Cooper 
River,  one  on  Back  River,  which  serves  the 
plantations  on  that  river  and  those  on  the  oppo- 
site side.  The  other  appointment  is  at  the  church 
near  Wappahoola  Creek,  a  branch  of  the  Cooper 
River.  I  catechise  during  the  week  and  on  Sun- 
day in  this  part  of  the  mission.  This  place  serves 
the  negroes  on  that  creek  and  several  of  the  plan- 
tations on  the  western  branch  of  the  Cooper  River. 
I  catechise  througrhout  the  mission  both  duringr  the 
week  and  on  Sundays.  In  this  part  of  the  mission 
there  are  tw^o  church  buildings,  one  of  them  old 
Cumberland,  removed  from  Charleston.  Here  we 
have  large  and  attentive  congregations.  At  Cum- 
berland the  planters  and  their  families  usually  at- 
tend, and  also  commune  with  the  people.  On  last 
Sunday  there  were  persons  present  from  seven  or 
eight  different  denominations,  and  five  of  those  de- 
nominations were  represented  at  the  Lord's  table. 
It  was  a  pleasant  sight  to  behold. 

On  the  other  part  of  the  mission  I  have  three 
appointments  and  two  churches.  At  Bonnoe's 
Ferry  I  preach  at  Dr.  Prioleau's,  sometimes  in  a 
negro  house  and  sometimes  under  a  widespread- 
ing  oak.  I  also  preach  under  an  old  brick  shed, 
where  the  negroes  from  several  of  the  plantations 
on  the  eastern  branch  of  the  Cooper  attend.  We 
hope  soon  to  have  a  church  here.     Another  ap- 


2IO  Tlic  Gospel  among  the  Slaves 

pointment  is  at  a  very  comfortable  church  given 
to  the  mission  by  Mrs.  Simons.  This  church, 
which  is  large  and  commodious,  serves  the  ne- 
groes on  both  the  eastern  and  western  prongs  of 
the  Cooper  River.  Mrs.  Simons  also  left  a  very 
comfortable  house  as  a  parsonage.  Another  ap- 
pointment is  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  western 
branch  at  the  plantation  of  Col.  James  Gadsden, 
where  we  have  a  large  society  and  a  very  good 
church  building.  In  all  the  Cooper  River  Mission 
has  five  Sabbath  appointments  and  four  churches 
served  every  other  week.  At  the  last  Conference 
I  reported  649  members  in  full  connection  and  318 
catechumens.  I  would  suppose  that  there  were 
from  2,500  to  3,000  negroes  within  reach  of  the 
appointments.  Our  average  attendance  at  each 
place  is  from  100  to  150. 

Since  the  establishment  of  these  missions  there 
has  been  a  great  reformation  in  the  condition  of 
the  negroes.  Whereas  before  many  were  lazy, 
immoral,  untrustworthy;  they  are  now  industrious, 
cheerful,  and  worthy  of  confidence.  Many  of 
these  negroes  are  left  in  charge  of  the  planta- 
tions during  the  absence  of  their  masters  in  the 
summer.  On  one  occasion  an  old  negro  told 
Brother  Coburn  that  the  gospel  (meaning  the 
preaching  of  the  missionaries)  "had  saved  more 
rice  for  massa  than  all  the  locks  and  keys  on  the 
plantation."  It  has  also  happily  affected  their  do- 
mestic relations,  joined  many  of  them  lawfully, 
made  them  better  husbands   and  wives,  and  im- 


Notes  from  the  Pioneers.  211 

proved  their  condition  in  various  other  respects. 
I  have  often  been  awakened  in  the  morning  by  the 
songs  and  prayers  of  the  negroes,  some  of  whom 
attended  regularly  to  their  family  devotions.  The 
negroes  generally  are  fond  of  class  meetings  and 
love  feasts,  and  are  very  apt  to  give  some  expres- 
sion of  approbation  when  pleased  with  preaching. 
On  the  whole  they  are  a  very  grateful  people. 


The  Wateree  and  Black  Mingo  Missions. 

By  Rev.  Fi-ederick  Rush,  of  the  South  Carolina  Conference. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  year  1834,  ^^  ^^^  Con- 
ference held  in  Charleston,  Bishop  Emory  ap- 
pointed me  to  form  a  mission  to  the  people  of  color 
on  the  Wateree  River.  I  first  consulted  the  plant- 
ers in  the  neighborhood  of  Camden,  and  obtained 
their  permission  by  certificates  to  operate  on  their 
plantations.  This  was  the  first  missionary  effort 
to  people  of  color  in  that  section.  Previous  to 
this  time,  however,  the  question  had  been  consid- 
ably  agitated.  There  was  much  talk  for  and 
against  it.  The  overseers  generally  were  opposed 
to  it,  but  the  planters  seemed  to  take  to  the  idea. 

Mr.  James  C.  Doby  made  his  house  my  home 
and  stood  by  me  at  every  point  of  opposition,  also 
Col.  W.  W.  McQuillay  and  others  who  were  de- 
termined to. give  the  mission  a  fair  trial.  In  a 
short  while  I  had  as  much  ground  as  I  could  oc- 
cupy, and  the  planters  to  a  unit  soon  expressed 
their  opinions  earnestly  in  favor  of  the  work. 


212  The  Gospel  amo)ig  the  Slaves. 

Sometime  in  April,  while  enlarging  my  new  field, 
I  went  to  Mr.  Stratford's,  about  twelve  miles  above 
Camden,  lo  have  an  interview  with  him  respecting 
his  plantation.  He  soon  gave  me  his  consent  to 
take  it  into  the  work.  This  was  on  Thursday  or 
Friday,  and  the  rains  beginning  to  fall,  then  heavy 
floods  came  and  detained  me  there  three  or  four 
days,  during  which  time  I  preached  three  times  to 
the  family  and  servants,  also  to  such  of  the  whites 
and  blacks  as  came  from  the  neighboring  planta- 
tions. 

During  my  stay  there  I  conversed  with  an  old 
negro  belonging  to  Mr.  Stratford.  He  was  from 
Africa,  and  totally  ignorant  of  spiritual  things.  He 
said  that  in  their  country  they  had  all  heard  of  the 
devil,  but  none  had  ever  heard  of  the  other  one 
of  whom  I  told  him,  Jesus  the  Christ.  He  took 
my  advice  and  began  to  call  upon  the  name  of  the 
Lord  for  enlightenment  and  mercy.  He  was  soon 
happily  converted.  The  next  morning  after  this 
happy  conversion  he  went  to  the  field  as  usual. 
Soon  after  he  commenced  his  work,  he  saw  his 
master  coming  into  the  field.  Mr.  Stratford  was 
then  seventy  years  of  age,  and  up  to  this  time  had 
made  no  effort  to  get  religion.  The  old  African 
dropped  his  hoe  and  ran  at  once  to  meet  his  mas- 
ter, telling  him  in  his  broken  way  of  the  Jesus  he 
had  found,  and  entreating  him  also  to  seek  the 
blessing  which  Jesus  only  could  give.  Mr.  Strat- 
ford was  melted  to  tears.  He  told  me  afterward 
that  he   did   not  wish   to  be   seen   crying  by  his 


Notes  fr 07)1  the  Pioneers.  213 

slaves,  but  that  he  could  not  help  it.  This  was  the 
start  of  a  great  work  here.  Soon  after  that  affect- 
ing incident  in  the  field,  Mr.  Stratford  joined  our 
Church,  and  I  baptized  him  and  his  daughter  and 
twenty-four  of  his  negroes  at  one  time  in  his 
house.  Not  long  afterward  he  was  thoroughly 
converted  after  some  hours  of  the  most  earnest 
prayer,  and  like  his  servant,  George,  he  rejoiced 
greatly  in  his  new-found  happiness  in  Christ. 

I  formed  a  society  and  preached  here  for  a  few 
weeks  under  a  bush  arbor.  By  the  end  of  the 
year  we  began  to  worship  in  our  new  and  com- 
modious chapel,  which  had,  in  the  meantime,  been 
built.  I  left  this  place  with  sixteen  white  and  I  be- 
lieve about  forty  colored  members.  I  do  not  re- 
member the  exact  number  on  the  entire  mission, 
but  I  know  that  I  left  it  in  a  very  sound  and  pros^ 
perous  condition,  and  that  the  planters  generally 
requested  its  continuance.  I  was  there  but  one 
year.  Brother  W.  A.  Gamewell  was  my  suc- 
cessor. 

The  next  mission  field  to  which  I  was  appointed 
was  the  Black  Mingo  Mission,  during  the  years 
1832-33.  This  mission  had  been  formed  by  Broth- 
er Abraham  Nettles,  and  I  went  to  it  in  the  second 
year  of  its  existence.  There  were  thirty  planta- 
tions served  on  the  mission,  with  9  preaching 
places,  49  white  and  586  colored  members.  That 
year  I  catechised  about  seven  hundred  children. 
I  remember  also  that  the  contributions  from  the 
planters  more  than   covered  the  expenses  of  the 


214  '^^^^  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

mission.  That  year  I  formed  a  society  at  Cedar 
Creek,  on  the  Williamsburg  District.  It  had  35 
whites  and  over  100  colored  members.  These 
whites  were  chiefly  among  the  patrons  of  the  col- 
ored mission,  and  the  society  was  principally  for 
their  benefit,  but  there  were  the  number  of  col- 
ored members  I  have  already  stated.  By  the  ad- 
vice of  Brother  Derrick,  the  presiding  elder,  they 
were  transferred  to  the  Black  River  Circuit,  and 
it  is  at  this  time  one  among  the  most  important  so- 
cieties of  that  circuit. 

The  patrons  of  the  Black  Mingo  Mission  were  all 
warm  friends  to  the  work,  especially  Mr.  William 
Burrows  and  Mr,  J.  B.  Pressley,  who  were  very 
active  in  its  starting,  and  whose  zeal  was  as  warm 
as  ever  in  1853. 

At  Mr.  G.  Cooper's,  one  of  the  patrons,  I  went 
to  see  a  sick  negro  who  was  very  old.  He  told 
me  that  he  was  a  member  of  the  church,  and  had 
been  going  to  church  as  faithfully  as  he  could  un- 
til stricken  down  with  the  weight  of  years  and 
sickness,  but  that  there  was  one  thing  that  troub- 
led him  a  great  deal.  This  was  about  three  Gods 
of  whom  '^mossa"  (the  missionary)  had  told  him. 
He  was  bothered  to  know  which  was  the  head 
man  and  to  which  he  should  go  when  asking  for 
anything.  I  began  and  tried  to  explain  to  him  as 
clearly  as  I  could  why  the  three  persons  in  the 
Godhead  were  one.  The  Lord  graciously  helped 
his  infirmities  while  I  was  talking,  and  he  soon 
saw  clearly.     He  was  filled  with  deep  joy  when  he 


Notes  from  the  Pioneers.  215 

realized  God  the  Father  and  Christ  the  Saviour. 
His  cheeks  glistened  with  tears  and  his  counte- 
nance beamed  with  joy.  In  a  few  days  he  died 
in  great  triumph.  I  will  add  here  that  his  master 
is  a  very  pious  and  upright  man,  and  that  few  men 
afford  their  servants  more  religious  privileges  than 
Mr.  Cooper.  The  great  darkness  and  supersti- 
tion of  his  race  stood  in  the  way  of  this  poor  old 
man ;  the  veil  was  so  thick  it  was  long  ere  he  could 
see  through  it  clearly.  This  circumstance,  when 
it  became  known,  did  much  for  the  cause  of  col- 
ored missions,  by  showing  the  importance  of  visit- 
ing and  catechising  even  the  grown  negroes  on 
various  religious  subjects.  I  left  this  mission  in  a 
prosperous  condition,  and  Brother  J.  Parker  was 
my  successor. 

In  1834  I  was  appointed  to  the  Cheraw  Mission. 
From  the  moment  I  took  hold  of  the  work  I  real- 
ized that  it  was  not  missionary  ground,  and  so, 
through  my  advice,  the  Conference  discontinued 
it,  to  devote  its  time  and  money  in  more  promising 
fields  

Twenty-two  Years  in  the  Mission  Fields  of 
South  Carolina.* 

By  Rev.  Charles  Wilson,  of  the  South  Carolina  Conference. 

I  received  my  first  appointment  to  the  mission 
field  at  the  Conference  held  in  Charleston,  S.  C, 


*Abridged  from  a  manuscript  found  in  the  collection  of  Rev. 
H.  A.  C.  Walker,  who  proposed  at  one  time  to  publish  a  "  His- 
tory of  Missions  to  the  Blacks." 


2i6  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

in  1834,  ^o  ^"^^^  Combahee,  Ashepoo,  and  Pon  Pon 
Mission.  I  was  sent  as  a  colaborer  with  Dr.  Boyd, 
who  had  labored  there  a  part  of  the  previous  year 
with  Brother  Coburn. 

This  mission  was  in  the  midst  of  the  rice  fields, 
then  looked  upon  as  "  the  graveyard  of  South  Car- 
olina." But  despite  this,  I  knowingly  slept  in  their 
midst  tv/o  or  three  nights  of  every  week  the  year 
round.  During  such  times,  in  the  sickly  season  of 
the  year,  I  have  known  as  many  as  two  corpses  to 
be  carried  to  the  graveyard  within  hearing  of  my 
room.  Whether  this  exposure  of  myself  was  a 
piece  of  recklessness  on  my  part  or  not  I  do  not 
now  pretend  to  say,  but  this  much  I  can  assert:  I 
never  enjoyed  better  health. 

We  had  at  that  time  but  one  appointment  on 
Combahee  River.  This  was  at  the  plantation  of 
Mr.  Charles  Baring.  He  was  a  warm  and  zealous 
friend  of  the  missionaries.  If  I  am  not  mistaken, 
it  was  at  this  plantation  that  the  blessed  work  of 
missions  to  the  slaves  had  its  beginning.  In  addi- 
tion to  the  negroes  on  this  place,  we  had  those  be- 
longing to  Capt.  N.  Heyward,  one  of  the  largest 
slaveholders  in  the  state.  He  had  some  eight  or 
ten  plantations,  all  lying  together  on  the  Ashepoo. 
We  preached  on  three  plantations :  those  of  Edward 
Webb,  J.  G.  Godfrey,  and  Hon.  Barnwell  Rhett. 
At  the  latter  place  we  also  had  in  attendance  the 
negroes  from  Mr.  Thomas  Rhett's  plantation.  On 
the  Pon  Pon  we  preached  on  one  of  Mr.  Baring's 
plantations;   on  Mrs.  Morris's,  at  that  time  under 


Notes  from  the  Pioneers.  217 

the  direction  of  Col.  Morris;  and  on  Mr.  Aiken's, 
on  Jehossee  Island.  In  addition  to  these  we  had 
one  or  two  small  places  at  which  we  preached 
occasionally.  At  the  regular  appointments  we 
preached  every  Sabbath  from  two  to  three  sermons. 
A  portion  of  each  week  was  devoted  to  the  work 
of  catechising  the  children  and  visiting  the  sick 
and  aged. 

We  preached  in  barns,  cooper  shops,  hospitals, 
and  other  plantation  buildings,  which  were  gener- 
ally fitted  up  in  comfortable  style.  So  far  as  we 
could  judge  we  had  the  entire  confidence  of  the 
planters,  which  they  evidenced  by  their  kindness 
and  liberal  hospitality.  As  to  the  negroes  them- 
selves, their  artless  expressions  of  gratitude,  their 
rapt  attention  bestowed  upon  our  sermons  touched 
us  deeply  and  made  us  all  the  more  resolve  to  be 
faithful.  In  the  early  part  of  this  year  we  added 
another  plantation  to  the  mission.  This  was  that 
of  Mr.  Mason  Smith,  one  mile  above  the  ferry.  A 
touching  incident  is  connected  with  the  establish- 
ment of  this  mission.  Going  to  keep  the  appoint- 
ment, Mr.  Smith  met  me,  telling  me  how  glad  he 
was  to  see  me,  and  how  gratified  at  the  prospect  of 
having  regular  religious  service  among  his  blacks. 
He  accompanied  me  to  the  house  where  the  meet- 
ing was  to  be  held.  We  found  it  well  filled  with 
a  neatly  dressed  congregation,  with  countenances 
giving  ample  proof  of  their  own  joy  and  gratifica- 
tion in  the  prospect  before  them.  I  read  a  chap- 
ter in  the  Bible,  gave  out  and  sung  a  hvmn,  the  ne- 


2i3  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

groes  all  joining  in.  I  then  prayed  and  preached 
a  sermon,  which  I  endeavored  to  make  as  plain  to 
them  as  possible. 

At  the  close  of  the  sermon  Mr.  Smith  arose  and 
addressed  himself  with  deep  emotion  to  his  people. 
He  said:  *'Now,  my  people,  you  have  heard 
preached  to  you  this  day  from  that  blessed  book 
[pointing  to  my  Bible]  the  very  truths  I  have  al- 
ways been  trying  to  impress  upon  your  mind;  and 
now  I  feel  perfectly  willing  to  commit  your  reli- 
gious instruction  and  spiritual  welfare  to  these  men 
of  God.  May  God  be  with  you!"  By  this  time 
his  feelings  got  so  completely  the  mastery  of  him 
that  he  burst  into  tears  and  rushed  from  the  room, 
praying  God's  mercy  upon  them  and  upon  himself. 
The  emotion  displayed  by  their  master  had  an 
electrifying  effect  upon  the  negroes,  and  scarcely 
have  I  witnessed  such  a  scene  as  now  took  place. 
The  result  was  many  converts  to  the  Church.  And 
never  have  I  known  a  more  submissive  and  orderly 
plantation  in  my  life  as  a  missionary,  nor  a  Church 
that  gave  less  trouble  in  the  administration  of  the 
discipline.  It  was  touching  to  see  the  love  and 
gratitude  bestowed  upon  their  minister,  and  they 
were  always  desirous  of  making  him  some  little  gift. 

It  was  the  regular  custom  to  catechise  the  chil- 
dren on  this  plantation  every  Monday  morning 
about  II  o'clock.  Sometimes  the  grown  people 
working  near  the  house  would  also  come  to  take 
part.  When  the  catechising  was  over,  the  little 
ones  would  scamper  away  to  the  cabins,  returning 


Notes  from  the  Pioneers.  219 

in  a  few  minutes  laden  with  their  modest  gift  of 
eggs  for  the  minister.  Some  would  have  six,  some 
five,  some  three,  and  so  on.  These  they  would 
spread  out  on  the  ground  in  front  of  him.  On  one 
occasion  these  offerings  numbered  no  less  than 
seven  dozen. 

In  the  winter  of  that  year,  or  in  the  early  spring 
of  the  year  following,  we  obtained  permission  to 
preach  on  the  plantation  of  Mr.  Thomas  Lowndes. 
He  was  a  near  neighbor  of  Mr.  Smith,  and  owned 
a  large  number  of  slaves.     Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lowndes 
both  appeared  deeply  interested  in  our  work,  and 
not  only  entertained  us  hospitably  during  our  stay 
in  that  section,  which  was  only  during  the  winter 
and  spring;  but  also  made  every  arrangement  for 
our  comfort  at  their  house  in  their  absence.     Our 
congregations  here  were  generally  large  and  our 
preaching  to  them  productive  of  much  good.     A 
number  soon  became  members,  and  adorned  their 
professions    by    a   life  of    consistent   piety.     Mr. 
Lowndes  was  a  most  liberal  patron  of  the  mission, 
giving  regularly  one  hundred  dollars  per  annum  to 
its  support. 

At  the  time  that  our  missionaries  first  found  their 
way  among  the  larger  plantations  of  lower  Caro- 
lina, the  Episcopahans  had  a  few  churches  scat- 
tered about,  principally  in  the  upper  borders  of  the 
rice-o-rowing  section.  These  were  built  mostly,  if 
not  altogether,  for  the  accommodation  of  the  plant- 
ers and  their  families.  Consequently  they  were 
only  preached  in  during  the  winter  and  early  part 


220  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

of  the  spring.  As  may  be  supposed,  a  sermon 
prepared  expressly  to  the  taste  of  the  learned  and 
enhghtened  could  be  of  little  use  to  the  profoundly 
ignorant.  Hence  the  coming  of  the  Methodist 
missionaries  with  their  plain  and  simple  story  of 
the  cross  was  like  the  opening  of  a  new  world  to 
the  spiritual  mind  of  the  negro. 

During  this  year,  1835,  Hon.  R.  B.  Rhett  put 
up  at  his  own  expense  a  comfortable  church  build- 
ing on  his  plantation  on  the  Ashepoo.  Here  we 
preached  regularly  to  his  own  negroes  and  to  those 
of  his  brother,  Mr.  Thomas  Rhett,  never  faihng  to 
have  large  and  interesting  congregations.  Through 
the  lavish  kindness  of  Hon.  Mr.  Rhett  I  and  my 
family  occupied  his  residence  during  his  stay  in 
Washington.  This  put  me  in  the  center  of  my 
work,  and  enabled  me  to  leave  home  after  8  o'clock 
in  the  morning,  reach  the  most  distant  place  in  my 
charge,  catechise  the  children,  visit  the  sick,  and 
return  before  2  in  the  afternoon.  On  Sabbath 
mornings  I  was  also  enabled  to  hold  sunrise  prayer 
meetings  on  the  neighboring  plantations  and  to  re- 
turn home  in  time  to  set  out  for  my  regular  day's 
preaching.  This  kind  hospitality  on  the  part  of 
Mr.  Rhett  not  only  rendered  my  work  doubly 
pleasant  and  satisfactory,  but  also  of  increased 
profit  to  those  among  whom  I  labored.  I  could 
give  them  far  more  time  and  attention  and  devise 
many  ways  for  their  instruction  and  entertainment. 
I  now  began  to  spend  an  hour  of  each  night  of  the 
week  with  those  on  the  place  in  teaching  them  the 


Nolcsfrom  the  Pioneers.  221 

various  hymns  used  by  the  Church.  Having  a 
natural  ear  for  music,  they  soon  made  rapid  prog- 
ress. But  these  dehghtful  meetings  were  brought 
to  a  close  by  a  severe  illness  that  now  attacked  me, 
and  laid  me  low  with  hemorrhage  of  the  lungs. 
The  devotion  of  these  negroes  to  me  at  this  period 
was  one  of  the  brightest  chapters  in  my  missionary 
life.  I  cannot  speak  of  it  too  highly.  As  soon  as 
they  had  finished  their  daily  labors  they  were  at 
my  bedside  ready  to  do  any  act  of  kindness  in  their 
power.  Though  weak  from  suffering,  I  neverthe- 
less endeavored  to  talk  to  all  who  came,  and  many 
scenes  that  I  think  God  must  have  loved  to  witness 
occurred  in  my  sick  room.  When  at  last,  having 
recovered,  though  with  my  health  seriously  im- 
paired, I  came  away,  I  believe  it  was  as  a  much  bet- 
ter Christian  and  a  more  useful  minister. 

The  Hon,  Mr.  Rhett  was,  I  think,  a  truly  pious 
man.  He  seemed  deeply  interested  in  the  spiritual 
welfare  of  the  black  population  of  his  country,  and 
contributed  most  liberally  every  year  to  the  support 
of  the  mission. 

At  the  next  meeting  of  the  Missionary  Board  of 
the  Conference,  I  believe  in  February,  1836,  the 
mission  was  divided,  and  what  was  known  as 
"The  Barings  Mission  "  taken  from  it  and  placed 
in  charge  of  Dr.  Boyd.  Brother  A.  W.  Walker 
and  myself  were  given  the  other  part.  This  divis- 
ion, I  think,  lasted  only  one  year.  During  this 
year  Brother  Walker  and  I  had  fair  success  both 
in  preaching  to  the  negroes  and  in  extending  the 


2  22  The  Gospel  among  tJic  Slaves. 

bounds  of  the  mission.  We  added  to  it  the  plan- 
tations of  Mr.  James  Lowndes,  Dr.  Fraser,  and 
Mrs.  J.  L.  Gibbes.  We  found  easy  access  to  the 
confidence  of  the  planters,  and  I  beheve  to  the 
hearts  of  the  negroes.  All  the  persons  whose 
plantations  we  served  contributed  more  or  less  to 
the  support  of  the  mission. 

At  the  next  meeting  of  the  Missionary  Board,  in 
1837,  the  mission  was  again  divided.  The  part 
embracing  the  Pon  Pon  River  was  taken  from  the 
Combahee  and  Ashepoo,  and  from  then  until  now 
(1856)  has  been  known  as  the  Pon  Pon  Mission. 
Dr.  Boyd  w^as  appointed  to  this  work,  while  I  was 
continued  on  the  remaining  part,  assisted  by  Brother 
T.  S.  Daniels.  We  had  on  this  mission  larcfe 
classes  of  children,  which  we  were  very  particular 
in  catechising.  Many  of  our  friends  were  at  this 
time  of  the  opinion  that  our  only  hope  of  thorough 
evangelization  of  the  race  lay  in  the  children ;  that 
the  grown  up  portion  had  become  so  debased  in 
sins  of  almost  every  kind  it  was  almost,  if  not  quite, 
impossible  to  change  their  habits  and  instill  into 
them  principles  of  morality  and  virtue;  but  I  did 
not  share  this  opinion.  While  I  too  had  strong 
hope  of  the  children,  I  yet  had  as  strong  faith  in 
the  almighty  power  of  Christ's  gospel  to  enter  every 
heart,  no  matter  how  debased,  and  bring  it  to  the 
salvation  of  God.  I  had  continual  verification  of 
this  belief  in  the  number  of  genuine  conversions 
among  those  who  had  grown  gray  in  vices  of  the 
lowest  order. 


Notes  from  the  Pioneers.  223 

I  served  the  Ashepoo  and  Combahee  Mission 
for  live  years.  It  had  proved  a  most  interesting 
field  of  labor,  abundantly  worthy  of  the  money  that 
had  been  appropriated  to  its  cultivation.  In  1839 
I  was  sent  to  the  Pon  Pon  Mission,  and  in  order  to 
be  as  centrally  located  as  possible  took  up  my 
abode  in  the  pine  lands  of  Adams'  Run.  At  Wil- 
ton I  found  that  my  predecessor,  Dr.  Boyd,  had 
succeeded  in  getting  a  very  convenient  church 
erected.  The  mission  embraced  nine  plantations, 
with  four  preaching  appointments. 

This  vear  we  had  some  trouble  with  the  overseer 
of  Mrs.  Morris's  plantation,  who  tried  to  do  what 
he  could  to  oppose  the  mission  work.  Mrs.  Morris 
was  away  at  the  North  at  the  time;  but  when  she 
heard  of  it,  she  promptly  discharged  him  and  urged 
us  to  go  on  with  our  labors  among  her  blacks. 

In  1840  I  was  returned  to  the  work.  During 
this  year  several  plantations  were  added :  Mr. 
Faber's,  Mr.  Wilkin's,  and  Mr.  King's.  By  the 
end  of  the  year  every  plantation  from  Jacksonboro 
to  Edisto  Ferry,  a  distance  of  twelve  miles,  on  the 
east  side  of  the  Pon  Pon,  was  open  to  missionary 
labor.  Being  alone,  I  had  no  time  for  rest,  but  was 
kept  constantly  going. 

In  the  spring  of  1841  or  1842,  Bishop  Ives,  of  the 
Diocese  of  North  Carohna,  paid  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Charles  Baring  a  visit  at  their  family  residence  on 
Pon  Pon.  On  my  first  visit  to  the  plantation  after 
this  distinguished  arrival,  Mr.  Baring  took  me  in 
to  get  an  introduction  to  the  bishop.  I  found  him 
15 


224  '^^^^  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

a  pleasant  companion  and  an  agreeable  talker.  He 
spoke  approvingly  of  the  mission  work  of  the 
Methodist  Church  among  the  blacks.  As  he 
seemed  much  pleased  with  the  arrangement  of 
Bishop  Capers' s  catechism,  I  asked  him  if  he 
wouldn't  hear  me  catechise  the  little  blacks.  He 
at  once  consented. 

In  the  meantime  Mrs.  Baring  had  gone  out  and 
collected  the  little  band  and  had  them  all  washed 
and  brushed  up  in  fine  order,  and  formed  in  a 
semicircle  around  the  front  door.  As  soon  as  I 
saw  their  eyes  sparkling  with  animation,  I  knew  I 
had  nothing  to  fear  in  their  performance,  for  it 
would  have  been  sadly  mortifying  to  me  for  them 
to  have  bungled.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Baring,  Mrs. 
Ives,  and  one  or  two  others  sat  on  the  piazza,  while 
the  bishop  and  I  stood  on  the  steps.  I  commenced 
and  carried  them  through,  and  the  little  fellows 
were  really  beyond  themselves.  Their  answers 
were  prompt,  distinct,  and  correct. 

At  the  close  Mrs.  Baring,  filled  with  gratifica- 
tion, cried  out  to  her  husband:  "Charles!  Charles! 
they  must  have  a  treat !  Get  something  for  them  !  ' ' 
He  walked  back  into  the  house,  which  I  thought 
was  unnoticed  by  the  bishop,  who  had  begun  to 
make  them  a  little  talk.  In  the  midst  of  it  Mr. 
Baring  reappeared  with  a  large  bowl  of  sugar  and 
a  spoon  in  his  hand.  Such  another  breaking  up 
of  ranks  and  charge  for  the  bowl  as  there  was 
then !  The  bishop  was  left  to  wind  up  his  lecture 
to  unlistenino"  ears. 


Notes  from  the  Pioneers.  225 

I  spent  four  years  on  the  Pon  Pon  Mission.     At 
the  end  of  that  time,  my  health  being  sadly  impaired 
through  repeated  attacks  of  fever,  I  was  given  an 
assistant,  Brother  Nathan  Bird.     Having  now  more 
leisure,  I  was  again  pressed  with  the  old  desire  to 
add  new  fields  to  my  work.     Through  the  invita- 
tion of  Col.  Morris,  who  had  his  summer  home  at 
Edingsville,    I  now   began    preaching    on    Edisto 
Island.     1  found  the  fields  white  to  the  harvest,  and 
the  planters  almost  unanimous  in  their  desire  to 
have  the  work  of  evangelization   pushed  among 
their  people.     One  of  them,  Mr.  J.  J.  Mikell,  had 
already  gone  so  far  as  to  erect  a  comfortable  chapel 
on  one  of  his  plantations,  not  knowing  whom  he 
might  get  to  serve  his  people.     My  first  preaching 
appointment  on  this  island,  the  second  Sunday  in 
October,  1840,  was  a  memorable  one  tome.    Mrs. 
Townsend,  a  zealous   and  pious  member  of  the 
Baptist  Church,  and  its  most  active  member  on  the 
island,  invited  me,  there  being  no  pastor  in  charge, 
to  preach  at  her  church.     At  the  hour  appointed  I 
reached  the  building  in  company  with  Col.  Morris, 
at  whose  home  I  was  staying,  and  found  a  large 
collection  of  blacks  and  a  considerable  number  of 
the  planters.     I  next  had  an  invitation  from  Mr. 
Lee,  the  Presbyterian  minister,  to  preach  in  his 
church.     I  again  had  a  crowded  house  and  spoke 
with  much  freedom.     Mr.  Lee,  who  was  a  faith- 
ful and  zealous  minister,  had  already  done  much 
efficient  work  among  the  blacks  on  the  island .    The 
dav  following  I  returned  home  with  the  deep  con- 


226  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

viction  that  here  was  a  promising  door  for  mission 
work  waiting  to  be  opened.  The  mission  was  sub- 
sequently established,  and  I  was  sent  to  serve  it. 
Six  hundred  dollars  a  year  for  the  support  of  the 
missionary  was  readily  subscribed  by  Messrs.  J.  J. 
Mikell,  WiUiam  Seabrook,  Maj.  Murray,  and  the 
Messrs.  M.  A.  and  S.  Seabrook. 

I  had  on  the  Edisto  Mission,  to  begin  with,  six 
preaching  places  and  eleven  plantations  to  serve. 
One  of  these  was  Gov.  Aiken's  place  on  Jehossee 
Island,  which  for  convenience  sake  was  taken  from 
the  Pon  Pon  Mission  and  attached  to  the  Edisto. 
Unlike  Edisto,  which  is  a  cotton-growing  island, 
Jehossee  is  mostly  a  rice  plantation  and  owned  en- 
tirely by  Gov.  Aiken.  It  is  naturally  a  part  of 
Edisto,  but  has  been  made  into  a  separate  island 
by  the  opening  of  a  creek  by  a  canal  connecting 
the  two  rivers. 

The  mission  on  Jehossee  had  from  the  first  been 
one  of  the  most  promising  in  the  bounds  of  the 
Conference.  I  became  acquainted  with  it  in  1834, 
my  first  year  in  the  mission  fields ;  and  from  then  to 
the  present  time,  a  period  of  twenty-two  years,  I 
have  preached  regularly  on  the  place,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  1837  and  38,  when  it  was  in  charge  of 
Dr.  Boyd. 

There  is  quite  a  commodious  chapel  on  this 
island,  which  has  been  erected  by  Gov.  Aiken  as 
a  place  of  worship  for  his  blacks.  At  first  it  stood 
in  a  grove  of  live  oaks  on  the  lawn  in  front  of  his 
dwelling;  but  his  plantation  enlarging,  it  was  sub- 


Notes  from  the  Pioneers.  227 

sequently  removed  to  a  more  central  spot.  Here 
an  addition  of  twenty  feet  was  made  to  the  build- 
ing, which  had  become  too  small  to  accommodate 
the  crowds.  A  portico  has  also  been  attached  to 
the  front.  This  chapel  has  a  bell,  and  a  regular 
sexton  in  attendance.  The  occasion  is  rare  when 
it  is  not  filled  to  the  door  with  the  blacks,  with  the 
exception  of  a  small  space  reserved  for  the  whites. 
In  this  church  alone  sixty-two  couples  of  blacks 
have  been  united  by  the  sacred  ties  of  Christian 
marriage.  I  recollect  to  have  married  here  at  one 
time  five  couples. 

From  the  beginning  of  our  labors  on  Jehossee 
Island  to  the  commencement  of  1844  our  course 
was  generally  onward  and  prosperous.  But  at  that 
time  that  terror  and  destroyer  of  humanity,  cholera, 
made  its  appearance  for  the  first  time  on  the  island. 
Gov.  Aiken,  then  in  Washington,  was  duly  notified 
when  the  disease  became  epidemic,  and,  like  a  man 
true  to  his  responsibilities,  hastened  away  from  his 
family  and  business  in  Congress  to  afford  whatever 
comfort  and  assistance  might  be  in  his  power  to 
his  suffering  and  dying  people,  and  for  near  or 
quite  three  w^eeks,  regardless  of  danger,  passed  his 
time  in  visiting  from  hospital  to  hospital  both  day 
and  night. 

The  first  case  occurred  while  Brother  Bass,  who 
was  with  me,  and  I  were  at  Conference.  But  as 
soon  as  we  returned  and  heard  of  the  situation  of 
our  charge  at  that  place  we  went  among  them,  de- 
sirous of  rendering  any  assistance  in  our  power, 


228  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

though  not  without  serious  apprehension  of  danger. 
The  first  hospital  I  went  into  had  a  corpse  lying  in 
the  front  room  in  preparation  for  the  grave — a 
young  man,  whose  mother  was  sitting  by  his  side 
and  in  deep  sorrow.  I  offered  what  comfort  I 
could,  prayed  with  her,  and  left.  In  that  day's 
round  of  visits  I  saw  four  corpses.  From  the  dis- 
ease's first  appearance  there  were  two  physicians 
on  the  place  in  constant  attendance  night  and  day. 
About  three  hundred  of  the  negroes  were  removed 
to  camp,  which  was  composed  of  temporary  build- 
ings in  the  woods.  Dr.  Kinloch  was  called  from 
Charleston.  Brother  Bass  or  I  was  there  every 
day  almost,  rendering  whatever  assistance  we  could 
by  offering  the  comforts  of  religion  to  the  sick  and 
dying,  and  sympathy  to  afflicted  friends  over  the 
dead.  The  disease  continued  about  six  weeks,  in 
which  time  I  think  over  seventy  died. 

One  of  my  most  important  fields  on  the  Edisto 
Island  Mission  was  the  plantation  of  Mr.  J.  J. 
Mikell,  already  referred  to.  He  had  a  new  and 
commodious  chapel  which  was  largely  attended.  I 
soon  gathered  into  the  Church  at  this  place  a  num- 
ber of  orderly  and  highly  interesting  people.  Our 
efforts  among  them  were  greatly  facilitated  by  a 
well-ordered  system  of  plantation  discipline. 
Though  a  firm  and  decided  Presbyterian,  Mr. 
Mikell  nevertheless  gave  his  hearty  and  unswerv- 
ing support  to  the  Methodist  mission.  Always, 
when  at  home,  he  and  his  family  attended  the 
preaching  at  the  negro  chapel.     He  was  an  exceed- 


Notes  from  the  Pioneers.  229 

ingly  liberal  man.  Unaided  he  built  a  mission 
house  at  a  cost  of  $300  in  the  village,  besides  pro- 
viding a  winter  residence  for  me  nearly  all  the  time 
of  my  stay. 

On  the  plantation  of  Mr.  Edward  Whaley  we 
had  another  interesting  class.  He  too  was  a  most 
liberal  patron  of  the  mission,  giving  annually  one 
hundred  dollars. 

My  labors  for  the  first  two  years  on  the  Edisto 
Mission  were  hard,  preaching  once  a  fortnight  at 
all  my  appointments,  and  catechising  the  children 
and  visiting  the  sick  and  aged  during  the  week.  I 
have  on  some  occasions  preached  five  sermons  and 
rode  on  horseback  forty-five  miles  all  in  a  day, 
leaving  home  at  4  o'clock  in  the  morning  and  re- 
turning at  8  in  the  evening,  sometimes  much  later. 
But  the  Lord  mercifully  supported  me  through  it 
all.  At  the  next  Conference  I  was  given  an  as- 
sistant in  Rev.  J.  L.  Shuford. 

In  the  early  part  of  the  year  I  learned  that  Mr. 
Thomas  Hutcheson  owned  a  small  island  on  the 
west  side  of  the  Ashepoo,  on  which  he  had  about 
two  hundred  negroes  entirely  destitute  of  all  re- 
ligious instruction;  and  though  I  had  never  seen 
him,  nor  had  he  ever  heard  my  name,  yet  I  became 
anxious  to  pay  his  island  a  visit,  and  wrote  him  a 
letter  informing  him  that  I  had  heard  that  he  owned 
a  large  number  of  negroes  remote  from  all  religious 
privileges,  and  that  I  would  be  happy  to  visit  his 
island  in  the  character  of  a  Methodist  missionary 
to  the  blacks,   and  referred  him  to  Col.   Morris, 


230  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

Gov.  Aiken,  and  other  gentlemen  with  whom  he 
was  acquainted  for  particulars  respecting  my  object, 
and  immediately  received  an  answer  saying  that  he 
would  be  happy  to  see  me;  and,  accordingly,  ar- 
rangements were  made,  and  on  the  appointed  day, 
sometime  in  May,  a  boat  was  sent  for  me.  Upon 
reaching  the  shore  I  found  a  horse  and  servant 
waiting  to  take  me  up  to  his  dwelling.  I  found 
him  polite  and  glad  to  see  me,  particularly  on  the 
business  on  which  I  had  come:  desirous  that  his 
negroes  should  have  the  gospel  preached  to  them. 
I  told  him  that  we  would  preach  to  them  regularly 
once  a  fortnight  if  he  would  send  a  boat  for  us, 
with  which  he  seemed  delighted. 

After  preaching  to  a  large  congregation  in  a  barn, 
himself  and  overseer  and  family  in  the  number,  we 
parted,  all  gratified  with  the  prospect,  but  none 
more  so  than  the  negroes,  who  seemed  to  look  as 
if  a  sort  of  jubilee  was  beginning  to  dawn  on 
Hutcheson's  Island. 

I  asked  an  intelligent-looking  old  black  man  how 
long  he  had  lived  on  that  island  and  what  they  had 
done  in  that  time  for  religious  instruction.  He  re- 
plied that  he  had  been  living  there  for  forty  years, 
and  that  nearly  all  the  people  I  saw  had  been  born 
and  raised  there;  that  no  minister  of  any  denomi- 
nation had  ever  been  on  the  island  to  his  knowledge 
before;  that  nearly  all  the  people  that  had  been  in 
the  meeting-house  that  day  had  never  heard  a 
white  man  preach  before ;  and  that  they  had  been 
wholly  dependent  upon  each  other  for  all  the  re- 


Notes  from  the  Pioneers.  231 

ligious  instruction  they  had  ever  gotten.  This 
statement  I  beHeved  to  be  altogether  true  from  my 
knowledge  of  the  surrounding  country  and  the  lo- 
cahty  of  the  island.  My  heart  was  filled  with  grati- 
tude and  thankfulness  to  God  for  the  great  privi- 
lege of  being  an  honored  instrument  in  his  hand  of 
carrying  the  gospel  to  those  who  had  never  heard 
it  before,  although  they  were  in  my  own  native  land. 

After  a  year's  preaching,  at  the  first  opportunity 
given  them,  one  hundred  and  eleven  came  forward, 
a  larger  number,  I  am  disposed  to  think,  than  ever 
has  been  on  an  ordinary  occasion  received  into  the 
Church  at  one  time  within  the  South  Carolina  Con- 
ference. They  all,  with  but  few  exceptions,  proved 
true  to  their  vows. 

But  this  mission  had  a  sad  ending,  for  Mr. 
Hutcheson,  not  long  after  this,  dying  with  brain 
fever,  the  estate  fell  into  the  hands  of  his  mother, 
who  was  a  Roman  Catholic.  I  called  to  see  her, 
and  w^hen  she  learned  that  it  was  her  son's  wish 
that  the  mission  should  continue,  she  expressed  her 
willingness  to  have  it  so.  But  in  a  few  days  there- 
after she  had  a  visit  from  her  priest,  which  put  an 
end  to  the  work  in  that  part  of  the  field. 

In  1847  my  assistant  was  removed  to  the  Beau- 
fort Mission,  and  Brother  R.  P.  Franks  appointed 
my  junior.  Other  plantations  were  added.  In 
1850  Brother  Banks  labored  with  me.  In  the  be- 
ginning of  the  succeedmg  year  he  was  removed 
and  Brother  H.  A.  Bass  appointed  in  his  place. 
And  from  the  beginning  to  the  present  time  we 


232  Tlie  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

have  held  firmly  the  confidence  of  all  concerned. 
Our  labors  have  doubtless  proved  a  great  blessing 
to  the  inhabitants  of  Edisto  Island. 


Nine  Years  of  Plantation  Mission  Work  on 
THE  Santee  Mission  and  Elsewhere. 

V>y  Rev.  Samuel  Leard,  of  the  South  Carolina  Conference. 

In  the  year  1836  I  began  my  mission  work  among 
the  blacks  on  the  Manchester  Mission.  I  had  my 
headquarters  for  a  time  at  Manchester,  which  stood 
about  four  miles  from  the  Wateree  River  on  the 
Sumter  side.  It  was  the  central  point  of  a  large 
population,  both  white  and  black.  Very  few  of  the 
whites  belonged  to  the  Methodist  Church,  being 
for  the  most  part  Baptists  and  Episcopalians.  But 
there  was  a  large  colored  membership  collected, 
mainly  by  my  predecessor,  Rev.  Sherwood  Owens. 
We  had  for  our  preaching  place  in  Manchester  an 
old  frame  church  building,  which  had  served  as  a 
church  for  many  years.  There  we  had  a  large 
colored  society,  and  a  still  larger  number  of  the 
little  negroes  under  catechetical  instruction. 

The  prominent  planters  of  the  neighborhood 
were  generally  patrons  of  the  mission.  Among 
these  were  Mrs.  Belsar,  Mrs.  Moore,  Judge  Rich- 
ardson, and  many  others. 

The  children  were  catechised  during  the  week 
at  their  plantation  homes,  and  generally  made  fine 
progress. 


%1 


'""^i^V^I- 


.^. 


Vv 


(232) 


REV.  SAMUEL   LEARD, 
Of  the  South  Carolina  Conference. 


Notes  from  the  Pioneers.  233 

From  this  central  point  our  work  extended  above 
to  Statesburg,  and  down  the  river  until  it  finally 
reached  Murray's  Ferry,  on  the  Santee  River,  and 
some  sixty  miles  above  the  city  of  Charleston. 
Going  down  the  river  from  Manchester,  we  soon 
reached  Broughton's,  a  very  public  place ;  and  be- 
low him  Mr.  Mat  James,  Col.  Richard  Richard- 
son, Mrs.  Richardson,  Col.  Peter  Richardson  (the 
father  of  the  present  Governor  of  South  Carolina), 
Dr.  Boyd,  and  Col.  David  DuBose,  all  of  them 
wealthy  and  refined  gentlemen.  They  owned 
large  numbers  of  slaves,  and  were  sincerely  de- 
sirous to  see  them  Christianized  and  improved  in 
their  moral  character. 

The  writer  could  furnish  the  reader  with  an  en- 
taining  and  instructive  volume  were  he  to  enter  mi- 
nutely into  their  system  of  plantation  government ; 
their  care  of  the  young  slaves,  as  well  as  of  the  old ; 
the  houses  built  for  their  comfort;  the  nurses  pro- 
vided for  the  sick  and  helpless  (there  was  on  large 
plantations  a  sick  house  or  hospital,  and  a  physi- 
cian employed  by  the  year  to  minister  to  the  sick 
and  aged);  the  watchful  care  of  masters  and  mis- 
tresses over  not  only  the  health  but  the  moral  and 
spiritual  interests  of  the  slaves.  Add  to  this  the 
earnest  desire  of  the  planters  to  have  their  slaves 
Christianized,  their  willingness  to  pay  for  mission- 
ary labor,  their  personal  attention  to  the  religious 
meetings,  and  we  have  a  picture  of  Christian  phi- 
lanthropy on  the  one  hand,  and  of  appreciative 
obedience  and  satisfaction  on  the  other,  such  as 


234  '^^^^  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

the  world  has  rarely  witnessed  under  similar  cir- 
cumstances. 

Near  the  center  of  our  mission  field,  and  some 
little  distance  from  the  river  plantations,  was  old 
St.  Paul's  M.  E.  Church  and  camp  ground,  be- 
longing to  the  Santee  Circuit.  Manchester  Mis- 
sion had  no  direct  connection  with  this  church  and 
neighborhood,  and  yet,  upon  the  principle  of  nat- 
ural and  religious  attraction,  the  missionary  found 
here  such  a  home  and  welcome  and  spiritual  en- 
joyment as  no  words  can  describe.  Our  mission 
work  extended  some  fifteen  or  twenty  miles  below 
St.  Paul's,  including  many  plantations,  and  at  least 
two  Methodist  church  buildings  and  congrega- 
tions of  white  and  colored  members  of  the  M.  E. 
Church. 

For  two  years  I  spent  a  part  of  my  time  in  this 
delightful  Methodist  community,  preaching  to 
white  and  colored,  and  catechising  large  classes 
of  children. 

A  charming  and  beautiful  portion  of  my  work 
lay  on  the  southern  side  of  the  Santee  along  the 
river  swamps,  in  the  Parish  of  St.  John's  Berkely, 
Charleston  District,  and  was  called  the  "  Santee 
Mission."  It  would  be  difficult  to  describe  that 
beautiful  section  of  country  as  it  was  then,  with 
its  refined  and  elegant  citizens,  brave  men,  cul- 
tured women,  its  contented  servants,  fruitful  fields, 
and  comfortable  homes.  Alas!  the  terrible  rav- 
ages of  the  civil  war  left  it  a  desolate  waste. 

The  whole  country  on  both  sides  of  the  river 


Notes  from  the  Pioneers.  235 

was  opened  to  the  missionary,  and  with  a  thankful 
and  prayful  heart  he  entered  it  to  sow  the  seed, 
trusting  in  the  God  of  the  harvest  to  grant  a  gra- 
cious yield.  For  four  years  I  served  this  mission, 
from  1836  to  1840,  and  count  them  now  as  among 
the  most  useful  and  satisfactory  of  my  whole  min- 
isterial life.  I  was  not  ashamed  of  the  work.  I 
felt  that  I  had  as  much  my  Master's  service  to 
perform  here  as  though  I  toiled  in  the  most  prom- 
ising mission  field  of  China  or  India.  I  gave  my 
heart,  time,  and  what  talents  I  possessed  to  the 
work,  and  God  abundantly  blessed  me.  In  1839 
I  had  740  colored  members  on  the  mission.  In 
addition  to  the  children,  the  preaching  and  cate- 
chetical instruction  extended  to  hundreds  of  adults 
outside  of  the  Methodist  Church,  and  perhaps  to 
quite  as  many  children. 

The  planters  and  overseers,  as  a  general  rule 
(many  of  whom  were  godly  men),  welcomed  the 
missionary  to  their  homes  and  plantations ;  and  no 
one  had  a  better  opportunity  of  studying  the  char- 
acter and  relations  of  the  master  to  the  servant, 
and  of  the  servant  to  the  master,  than  he.  The 
preaching  of  the  gospel  was  not  a  new  thing  to 
the  colored  people  on  the  Santee.  Rev.  Sher- 
wood Owens  had  preceded  me,  and  had  gained 
the  confidence  of  masters  and  servants  in  the  full- 
est degree.  In  general  terms  the  gospel  ministry 
was  a  great  boon  to  masses  of  them.  It  was  a 
great  blessing  to  them  to  have  their  attention  di- 
rected to  the  higher  interests  of  the  soul  and  the 


236  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

hope  of  immortality  and  eternal  life.  They  were 
not  disturbed  in  mind  by  nice  points  of  doctrines 
or  ceremonial  parts  of  Christianity,  and  hence 
were  prepared  to  listen  to  the  exposition  of  the  ex- 
perimental and  practical  parts  of  rehgion.  They 
were  not  concerned  with  the  questions  of  what 
shall  we  eat  or  drink  or  the  thought  of  houses  to  live 
in  or  the  care  of  the  sick  or  even  of  the  clothing 
they  should  wear.  All  these  were  provided  for 
them  by  their  owners,  and  while  they  were  required 
to  work,  it  was  not  excessive  labor,  and  they  had 
no  fears  of  suffering  when  old  age  with  its  infirmi- 
ties should  come  upon  them.  Cruelty  of  the  owners 
in  any  shape  was  the  exception  and  not  the  rule.  I 
assert,  weighing  my  words  carefully,  and  speaking 
from  what  I  know  and  saw,  that  no  class  of  poor 
people  in  the  world  were  better  provided  for,  and 
none  had  fewer  cares  than  the  slaves  on  the  large 
plantations  in  the  lower  part  of  South  Carolina 
prior  to  and  during  the  war.  And  while  I  speak 
for  this  section  there  are  others,  many  others,  who 
can  truthfully  testify  these  same  things  for  other 
sections  of  the  country.  The  time  has  come  for 
these  facts  to  be  clearly  established  that  the  true 
story  may  go  down  to  our  children  and  to  our  chil- 
dren's children. 

As  the  years  went  on  I  grew  more  and  more  de- 
voted to  my  work.  God's  blessing  seemed  con- 
stantly to  rest  upon  it.  Especially  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  St.  Paul's,  Rehoboth,  and  St.  Mark's 
Churches  did  I  enjoy  the  richest  measure  of  sue- 


Notes  from  the  Pioneers.  237 

cess.  Large  classes  of  the  young  of  both  sexes 
were  taught  the  entire  catechism  prepared  for  their 
use  by  the  late  Bishop  Capers.  They  also  com- 
mitted to  memory  numerous  hymns  and  select  pas- 
sages of  scripture.  Having  tine  voices  generally, 
their  singing  was  unsurpassed  in  sweetness  and 
power.  The  older  ones  would  catch  up  the  re- 
frain, and  their  voices  being  of  unsurpassed  depth 
and  power,  they  would  make  the  fields,  churches, 
and  woods  rinff  with  the  sacred  soncrs  of  Zion. 

On  one  occasion  I  remember  catechisino;  a  class 
of  fifty  or  sixty  youths  and  children  under  the  large 
oak,  which  stood  in  front  of  old  St.  Mark's,  on  a 
Sunday,  and  in  the  presence  of  my  presiding  elder, 
the  late  Rev.  Hartwell  Spain.  Happening  to  glance 
around  at  him  during  the  height  of  the  services, 
my  heart  was  thrilled  to  see  him  bathed  in  tears. 
His  emotions  in  gazing  upon  that  scene  of  the 
humble  blacks  being  taught  the  way  of  life  and 
hearing  their  tuneful  voices  raised  in  loud  praise 
to  the  Maker  of  all  had  almost  overpowered  him. 
Surely  God  and  the  angels  took  note  of  that 
scene. 

The  spirit  of  religion  soon  spread  abroad  in  the 
whole  community,  and  harmony  of  feeling  between 
the  white  and  colored  people  was  unsurpassed  by 
anything  I  have  ever  seen.  I  doubt  if  I  ever  shall 
see  its  like  again.  The  masters  and  mistresses  ex- 
ercised the  greatest  kindness  and  consideration 
toward  their  servants,  who  in  turn  were  faithful, 

obedient,  and  devoted. 
16 


238  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

In  1843  I  served  a  very  important  mission  field 
not  far  from  Georgetown,  S.  C,  called  North  and 
South  Santee  Mission.  It  included  the  large  rice 
plantations  on  either  side  of  the  two  branches  of 
the  Santee  River  and  the  large  delta  between  them. 
This  was  a  region  of  immense  wealth,  great  fertil- 
ity of  soil,  and  of  extensive  planting  interests. 
Here  thousands  of  slaves  cultivated  the  fields  of 
rice.  I  have  a  lasting  impression  of  the  culture 
and  refinement  of  the  planters  and  their  families, 
of  the  care  they  took  of  their  slaves,  of  the  pro- 
tection furnished  to  them  against  imposition  and 
cruelty,  and  the  almost  perfect  system  of  planta- 
tion regulations.  This  last  included  even  the  ne- 
gro's church  going,  and  was  most  particular  as  to 
the  hospital  service  and  the  marital  relations  of  the 
sexes.  I  remained  but  one  year  on  this  very  in- 
vitino-  but  laborious  field  of  mission  work,  and  left 
it  with  regret,  despite  the  arduous  labors  entailed. 

The  mission  fields  in  the  low  country  of  South 
Carolina  were  largely  self-sustaining,  the  contribu- 
tions of  the  planters  covering  largely  the  appropri- 
ations made  by  the  Missionary  Society.  To  the 
planters  of  Lower  Carolina  great  praise  is  due  for 
their  liberal  support  of  our  domestic  missions. 

Years  of  various  itinerant  service,  on  stations, 
districts,  and  circuits  succeeded,  until,  having  fin- 
ished two  years  on  the  Black  Swamp  Circuit,  in 
the  Beaufort  District,  I  was  sent  by  the  bishop  to 
organize  and  serve  a  mission  field  called  the  Bluff- 
ton  Mission,  includin,<T  the  mainland  and  islands 


JVotcs  from  the  Pioneers.  239 

in  the  neighborhood  of  the  May  and  New  Rivers, 
Calliboga  Sound,  and  Broad  River.  This  inter- 
esting field  of  mission  labor  was  occupied  until 
the  battle  of  Fort  Walker,  on  Hilton  Head  Island, 
in  1861.  The  lovely  village  of  Bluffton  was  aban- 
doned, and  finally  the  whole  coast  yielded  to  the 
arms  of  the  United  States. 

In  addition  to  my  work  on  the  regular  missions 
I  constantly  had  large  numbers  of  the  colored  peo- 
ple under  my  charge  in  the  various  cities  and  towns 
of  South  Carolina.  In  Charleston,  in  the  years 
1846  and  1855,  when  pastor  of  the  Cumberland 
Church,  I  had  some  1,200  colored  people  under 
my  pastoral  care.  There  was  not  a  night  in 
the  week  that  we  did  not  have  some  Church  or 
society  meeting  in  their  behalf  in  the  large  base- 
ment story  of  the  church.  On  Sundays  hundreds 
of  them  occupied  the  large  galleries  in  the  body  of 
the  church  morning,  afternoon,  and  night,  for 
there  were  three  services  every  Sabbath.  Besides, 
their  monthly  love  feasts  and  sacraments  were  duly 
administered.  I  never  failed  to  visit  them  in  their 
own  houses  during  the  week  or  when  they  were 
sick  or  dying.  I  leave  the  reader  to  imagine  the 
amount  of  labor  involved  in  a  pastorate  of  twelve 
hundred  souls,  in  addition  to  the  cares  and  labors 
bestowed  on  two  hundred  white  members.  As 
can  readily  be  surmised,  it  was  no  child's  play. 

In  closing  this  article  I  cannot  forbear  to  remark 
that  from  the  moment  my  work  began  among  them 
in    1836  to  the  present  time — when  an  old  man 


240  The  Gospel  ajuong  the  Slaves. 

worn  in  my  Master's  service  I  await  the  voice  that 
is  to  call  me  hence — I  have  had  the  negroes'  moral 
and  spiritual  welfare  sincerely  at  heart.  I  have 
known  them  all  my  life.  I  have  mingled  with 
them,  talked  to  them,  wept  over  them,  prayed  with 
and  for  them.  I  have  studied  every  phase  of  their 
character  from  that  of  the  tattooed  African  fresh 
from  his  native  land  to  the  aged  and  dying  Chris- 
tian, telling  forth  in  clear,  unbroken  English  the 
preciousness  of  a  crucified  Saviour.  I  have  re- 
joiced with  them  when  one  of  their  number  reached 
a  plane  of  sincere  usefulness  and  ability.  I  have 
felt  for  them  when  tricked  by  unprincipled  politi- 
cians to  serve  their  own  corrupt  ends.  I  know  their 
needs  and  their  weaknesses,  while  I,  at  the  same 
time,  bear  willing  testimony  to  the  faithfulness  and 
integrity  of  the  many  who  have  come  directly  under 
my  notice,  and  I  pray  God,  in  his  own  good  time,  to 
bring  them  to  that  state  or  condition  in  life  which, 
in  the  wise  fulfillment  of  his  purpose,  he  deems 
the  best  and  fittest  for  their  good. 


The  Pedee  and  Upper  Santee  Mission.* 

By  Rev.  S.  D.  Laney,  of  the  South  Carolina  Conference. 

In  1838  I  was  stationed  on  what  was  then  called 
the  Pedee  Mission.     This  mission  was  afterward 

^Abridged  from  the  original  manuscripts  among  the  papers 
of  Rev.  II.  A.  C.  Walker.  The  writing  bears  the  date  of  May 
ID,  1856. 


JSfotcs  from  the  Pioneers.  241 

merged  into  the  Liberty  Chapel  Mission,  near 
Mars  Bluff. 

The  year  I  labored  on  this  work  it  extended  from 
Mars  Bluff  near  to  Society  Hall  on  the  Great  Pe- 
dee.  But  the  most  important,  or  at  least  the  most 
interesting,  portion  was  that  which  lay  on  Lynch's 
Creek  in  Darlington  District,  and  covered  the 
plantation  of  Moses  Sanders,  Esq.,  who  then  re- 
sided in  Darlington  village.  He  was  one  of  the 
mission's  strongest  supporters,  but  unfortunately 
died  at  the  close  of  the  year.  This  was  doubtless 
the  cause  of  the  mission  being  discontinued  for  a 
time,  though  Mr.  Sanders  left  a  liberal  provision 
for  it  in  his  will. 

Captain  Gibson  was  also  a  warm  patron  of  the 
mission,  as  was  Maj.  Cannon,  both  worthy  mem- 
bers of  the  M.  E.  Church,  South. 

In  the  early  part  of  the  year  I  made  a  visit  to 
John  McLenehen,  Esq.,  who  cordially  invited  me 
to  take  his  plantation  into  my  work,  which  I  did. 
Mr.  McLenehen  was  a  highly  respected  member 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  as  was  also  his  accom- 
plished lady,  but  both  were  warm  supporters  of  the 
mission,  and  were  constantly  contributing  to  the 
comfort  of  the  missionary.  At  this  appointment  I 
formed  a  good  society  and  had  a  most  interesting 
class  of  catechumens  among  the  children.  Gen. 
Williams,  of  Society  Hill,  and  the  Hon.  Mr.  Erwin, 
of  Darlington,  and  others  whose  names  I  cannot 
now  recall,  were  also  patrons  of  the  mission. 

At  almost  every  appointment  I  had  a  class  of 


242  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

catechumens.  These  afforded  me  the  rarest  delight 
in  the  catechising.  One  class  I  recall  with  special 
pleasure.  This  was  at  Springville,  the  residence 
of  Maj.  Cannon.  On  one  occasion  I  invited  the 
Rev.  Ira  L.  Potter,  then  in  charge  of  the  Darling- 
ton District,  to  go  out  to  this  appointment  and  wit- 
ness the  exercises.  He  listened  with  the  greatest 
concern,  and  was  greatly  affected  after  hearing  the 
children  answer  the  questions  with  such  intelligence 
and  promptness,  as  well  as  sing  the  doxology  and 
stanzas  of  various  other  hymns  without  a  jar. 
There  was  in  this  class  one  little  fellow  of  about 
ten  or  twelve  years  of  age  that  I  specially  recall 
for  his  quick  ways  and  readiness  of  thought. 

Great  respect  was  given  the  missionary  on  this 
mission.  Especially  did  the  blacks  look  up  to  him 
with  great  trust  and  veneration.  Our  strongest 
foe  was  superstition,  which  is  always  the  bane  of 
the  ignorant.  Especially  did  I  find  it  to  predomi- 
nate in  this  race.  But  always  I  found  the  blessed 
gospel  of  Christ  with  the  power,  if  rightly  compre- 
hended, to  dispel  this  state  of  feeling  from  the 
mind.  In  a  good  many  instances  I  saw  fruit 
through  the  course  of  this  year. 

Whether,  upon  the  whole,  this  was  a  mission 
proper,  is  very  questionable.  Very  nearly  all  the 
appointments  were  accessible  to  the  preachers  of 
the  circuit.  The  mission  money  was  paid  into 
their  hands  and  reported  to  the  credit  of  the  cir- 
cuit, while  I  think  a  majority  of  its  patrons  were 
members  of  the  circuit  charcre. 


Notes  from  the  Pioneers.  243 

There  was  at  this  time  in  the  vicinity  of  Mars 
Bluff  a  very  corrupt  state  of  society.  I  was  fre- 
quently interrupted  in  my  services  with  the  blacks. 
On  one  occasion  a  great  blustering  man  threatened 
to  whip  me  for  reproving  his  wife  for  boisterous 
talking  in  the  congregation.  I  had  thought  at  the 
time  that  it  was  one  of  the  negroes.  But  I  met 
him  coolly,  and  so,  after  swearing  around  the  house 
for  awhile,  he  left.  I  really  felt  during  the  prog- 
ress of  the  year  1838  that  the  neighborhood  of 
Mars  Bluff  was  a  modern  Sodom.  But  thank 
heaven!  they  were  not  all  depraved.  There  were 
some  very  worthy  citizens,  and  some  who  were 
pious.  Other  difficulties  attended  my  work 
during  my  connection  with  this  mission,  but 
there  were  none  so  formidable  as  at  Mars  Bluff. 
But  even  there  I  had  many  seasons  of  refreshing 
in  the  colored  congregation,  and  left  them  at  the 
end  of  the  year  in  a  healthy  condition.  The 
next  year  they  were  transferred  to  the  Darlington 
Circuit. 

It  was  at  the  close  of  this  year  that  an  incident 
transpired  that  showed  to  what  an  extent  the  influ- 
ence of  the  missionary  extended.  It  happened 
while  I  was  on  my  way  to  the  up  country  in  com- 
pany with  Rev.  Ira  L.  Potter.  As  we  passed  along 
through  a  portion  of  the  Wateree  Mission,  then 
served  by  Brother  Whatcoat  A.  Gamewell,  we  dis- 
covered on  a  river  plantation  a  large  group  of  little 
negroes  performing  some  light  work  by  the  road- 
side.    The    thought    struck    me    that    they   were 


244  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

Brother  Gamewell's  little  negroes.  As  we  came 
near  to  them  I  observed  to  Brother  Potter  that  I 
would  test  the  matter  and  exhibit  to  him  a  season 
of  interest.  When  we  came  within  speaking  dis- 
tance I  began  the  catechising :  ' '  Who  made  you  ?  ' ' 
I  asked.  "God!"  immediately  shouted  many 
voices.  As  the  question  was  answered  they 
dropped  their  work  to  a  man  and  eagerly  rushed 
after  us ;  and  for  nearly  a  half  mile  they  trotted  along 
after  us,  answering  questions  until  I  could  proceed 
no  further  from  memory.  I  mention  this  instance 
to  show  what  interest  even  the  children  took  in  this 
work  of  grace,  and  how  well  they  were  trained  by 
the  worthy  missionary. 

During  the  Conference  year  of  1840  I  served  the 
Upper  Santee  Mission,  which  lay  on  the  south  side 
of  the  Santee  River  in  the  bounds  of  the  Charles- 
ton District,  but  in  the  order  of  the  Conference  in 
the  Columbia  District.  Brother  H.  Spain  was  the 
presiding  elder,  but  from  some  providential  causes 
made  no  visit  to  it  during  the  year.  I  was  left 
wholly  to  myself,  the  Lord  being  with  me.  It  was 
a  year  of  great  affliction  to  me,  ph3'sical  and  mental. 
My  mind  was  gloomy  the  greater  part  of  the  year. 
Much  sickness  prevailed,  and  many  deaths  oc- 
curred both  among  the  whites  and  blacks.  I  vis- 
ited and  prayed  with  the  sick  and  dying  until  I  was 
compelled  to  abandon  my  post,  driven  away  by  the 
poisonous  malaria.  But  I  think  the  Lord  helped 
me  to  sow  some  seed  eternity  will  show.  I  preached 
and  catechised  at  four  different  places  each  Sab- 


Notes  from  the  Pioneers.  245 

bath.     Maj.  Porcher  was  one   of  the   warm   sup- 
porters of  the  mission. 

Another    important   appointment  embraced  the 
people  belonging  to  the  ' '  Santee  Canal  Company," 
called  "  Big  Camp."     The  entire  work  lay  up  and 
down  the  river  between  Pineville  and  Vane's  Ferry, 
embracing  the  settlements  of  Mrs.  Marion,  Mrs. 
Gaillard,''james  Gaillard,  Peter  Gaillard,  T.  W. 
Porcher,  and  others.     I  have  never  before  or  since 
encountered  beings  in  human  shape  so  far  removed 
from  civilization  and  Christianity  as  the  blacks  on 
this  mission,  and  yet  I  found  their  owners  intelli- 
gent and  refined.     It  was  with  the  utmost  difficulty 
that  I  could  understand  the  language  of  these  ne- 
groes.    I    noticed    one    pecuHarity  of    expression 
which  I  never  found  among  others.     They  inva- 
riably used  the  masculine  gender.     If  it  was  a  fe- 
male, it  made  no  difference:  she  was  called  "  he." 
There  were  but  two  classes  of  the  white  population 
here namely,  the  owners  and  the  overseers— con- 
sequently the  negroes  did  not  mingle  with  a  third 
class  of  whites  as  at  Mars  Bluff,  and  this  may  ac- 
count, in  a  great  measure,  for  their  being  under 
the  influence  of  manners  entirely  their  own.     But 
they  labored  less  and  were  better  provided  for  here 
than  at  any  other  place  under  my  observation.     It 
was  on  this  w^ork  that  I  became  acquainted  with 
that  truly  pious  man  of  God,  Rev.  Joseph  War- 
nock,  who  himself  became  a  missionary,  and  died 
not  long  since  in  the  city  of  Savannah,  Ga. 

This  mission  was  discontinued  at  the  close  of 


246  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

the  year,  and  I  think  the  ground  is  now  mostly  oc- 
cupied by  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  as  I 
noticed  in  Bishop  Daves' s  late  report  that  there 
were  several  of  my  old  places  embraced. 


My  Year  on  the  Beaufort  Mission. 

Bj  Rev.  A.  M.  Chreitzoerg,  of  the  Soulh  Carolina  Conference. 

In  the  year  1843,  which  was  the  fifth  of  my  itin- 
erancy, I  was  sent  to  preach  the  gospel  to  the  slaves 
on  the  Beaufort  Mission.  I  was  only  the  junior  on 
the  work,  that  noble  old  veteran  in  the  cause.  Rev. 
Thomas  E.  Ledbetter,  being  the  senior.  I  felt 
honored  in  having  been  assigned  to  this  important 
field  of  labor  thus  early  in  my  ministry,  as  I  knew 
our  Conference  was  careful  always  as  to  whom 
they  intrusted  with  a  work  so  delicate  in  many 
ways. 

Both  Brother  Ledbetter  and  myself  had  our 
families  with  us,  he  in  his  own  house  at  Beaufort 
and  I  in  a  hired  one  at  the  same  place. 

Our  work  lay  in  and  around  Beaufort,  princi- 
pally around  it,  among  the  plantations  situated  upon 
Lady's  Island,  Paris  Island,  Dawfuskie,  and  others 
not  necessary  to  mention.  These  were  reached 
from  the  mainland  by  boats  which  the  planters 
kindly  placed  at  our  service.  We  could  cross  and 
recross  at  any  time  we  pleased. 

The  plantations  served  belonged  to  some  of  the 
most  prominent  families  in  the  state:    the  Smiths, 


Nutcs  from  the  Pioneers.  247 

Barnwells,  Cuthberts,  Elliotts,  etc.  With  but  one 
or  two  exceptions  the  planters  were  all  sincerely  in 
sympathy  with  the  work  of  evangelization  among 
their  slaves.  They  threw  no  hinderance  in  our 
way,  but  put  forth  every  effort  to  interest  the 
negroes  in  the  religious  services.  In  many  in- 
stances they  and  their  families  were  members  of 
other  Churches,  yet  frequently  attended  our  ap- 
pointments. 

During  the  week  myself  and  colleague  visited 
the  different  plantations,  catechising  the  children. 
In  some  instances  there  were  as  many  as  two  or 
three  hundred  of  these  children,  all  kept  together 
under  the  care  of  an  elderly  female,  and  orders 
were  given  to  have  them  all  assembled  whenever 
the  preacher  came  on  his  catechising  rounds.  In 
no  instance  that  I  can  recall  were  these  children 
kept  away  at  work  or  for  other  purposes  during 
the  occasions  of  the  missionary's  visit;  but,  on  the 
other  hand,  were  always  assembled,  generally 
smiling  and  clean  for  their  instruction. 

On  Sundays  we  would  preach  twice,  thrice,  and 
even  four  times  a  day,  to  old  and  young  alike.  It 
was  no  holiday  time,  this  work  of  a  plantation 
missionary,  but  one  that  required  the  utmost  con- 
centration of  effort,  the  most  unflagging  spirit  of 
zeal,  and,  in  some  instances,  a  self-sacrifice  that 
was  heroic.  Especially  was  this  true  of  those 
whose  labors  lay  among  the  slaves  of  the  rice  plan- 
tations. Here  their  lives  were  constantly  in  jeop- 
ardy from  the  deadly  miasmatic  exhalations  of  the 


248  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

rice  fields ;  but  thanks  to  the  watchful  care  of  a 
beneficent  Providence,  and  to  the  retreats  afforded 
by  the  pine  lands,  but  few  of  them  died.  As  to 
the  slaves  themselves  they  seemed  to  thrive  better 
in  these  localities,  owing  to  their  similarity  in  tem- 
perature and  topographical  features  to  their  own 
country. 

But  despite  these  drawbacks  and  the  many  hard- 
ships and  discouragements  with  which  I  had  often 
to  meet,  my  year  on  the  mission  was  pleasant  and 
of  much  satisfaction  to  me.  There  were  many 
charming  families.  In  the  home  of  one  of  these 
especially  were  many  happy  hours  passed,  delight- 
ful to  look  back  upon  even  at  this  distant  day. 
This  was  the  family  of  Capt.  John  Joiner  Smith, 
himself  one  of  nature' s  truest  noblemen .  His  plan- 
tation was  known  as  "Old  Fort,"  and  was  situated 
on  a  bend  of  the  river  about  five  miles  distant  from 
Beaufort,  and  in  plain  view  of  the  city.  The  place 
was  so  called  from  the  remains  of  a  structure,  com- 
posed of  shells  and  lime,  supposed  to  have  been 
built  by  the  Spaniards. 

Capt.  Smith  and  his  wife  were  Episcopalians, 
but  were  both  earnestly  devoted  to  the  Methodist 
mission,  giving  liberally  of  their  substance  to  its 
support.  They  took  a  personal  interest  in  each 
slave's  spiritual  condition,  constantly  inquiring 
thereinto  with  the  devotedness  of  the  missionary 
himself. 

At  this  plantation  there  was  a  most  comfortable 
church,  which  its  black  members  took  great  delight 


Notes  from  the  Pioneers.  249 

and  pride  in  adorning  for  their  missionary's  com- 
ing, with  such  simple  material  as  the  forest  gave 
them.  Around  the  upright  posts  of  the  neat  pine 
pulpit  their  zealous  hands  would  twine  the  beauti- 
ful drapery  of  the  long  gray  moss,  while  graceful 
festoons  of  the  same  moss  would  hano-  in  front 
with  cords  and  tassels  attached,  the  latter  formed 
by  the  bur  of  the  pine.  In  the  rear  swept  the 
waters  of  the  river,  while  in  a  grove  that  surround- 
ed the  building  was  the  burial  ground  of  the  ne- 
groes, kept  ever  clean  and  neat.  Here  year  after 
year,  ever  since  the  coming  of  that  noble  old  pi- 
oneer, George  W.  Moore,  the  founder  of  the  mis- 
sion in  1833,  the  slave  had  been  taught  of  Jesus 
and  the  resurrection;  had  been  pointed  to  the 
Lamb  of  God  who  taketh  away  the  sins  of  the  world. 

The  service  would  begin  with  the  rising  of  the 
missionary  in  the  pulpit,  followed  by  the  simulta- 
neous rising  of  the  entire  congregation,  who  would 
repeat  after  him  line  by  line  the  Apostles'  Creed. 
Then  came  explanatory  questions,  which  were 
readily  answered.  The  Commandments  would 
next  be  repeated,  and  then  the  reading  of  a  portion 
of  Scripture,  which  was  always  carefully  explained. 
After  that  a  hymn  was  sung,  a  prayer  offered,  and 
the  sermon  began,  followed  all  the  way  through  by 
the  closest  attention  and  constantly  responded  to 
by  a  nod  cf  the  head,  a  gentle  clapping  together  of 
the  hands,  or  a  deep  "  Amen  !  "  according  as  their 
religious  fervor  moved  them. 

I  found  them  a  grateful  and  faithful  people,  much 


250  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

devoted  to  their  old  spiritual  instructors,  and  con- 
stantly   inquiring    after    them.      Especially    had 
Brother  Moore    won    their    deepest   affection.     I 
shall  never  forget  a  touching  incident  that  occurred 
illustrative  of  this.     In    one    of   the    charges  was 
Fortune,  a  fine  specimen  of  his  race:   honest,  in- 
telligent, and  one  of  the  most  consistent  members 
of  his  Church.     I  could  scarcely  believe  that  he  had 
once  been  one  of  the  worst  negroes  on  the  planta- 
tion, and,  on  questioning  him  as  to  his  conversion, 
was  deeply  moved  by  the  expression  of  his  face 
and  the  tone  of  his  voice  as  he  replied:    "  Yes,  sir; 
all  that  you  have  heard  is  true.     I  was  what  they 
have  told  you,  even  worse  than  that.     I  never  can 
forget  how  Mr.  Moore,  when  I  was  a  wicked  sin- 
ner, walked  his  horse  six  or  seven  miles  to  talk  to 
me  all  the  way  about  my  soul.     I  would  walk  this 
day  twenty  miles  to  hear  him  preach  once  more  !" 
That  walking  six  or  seven  miles  with  the  earnestly 
devoted    missionary,  who    showed  that   he    set  a 
precious  price  upon  this  soul,  a  negro's  soul  though 
it  was,  moved  Fortune  as  nothing  in  his  stormy  life 
had  ever  done  before,  and  resulted  in  his  conver- 
sion.    Through  just  such  soul-burning  devotion  as 
this,  illustrated  again  and  again  in  the  life  of  the 
plantation  missionary,  has  many  a  darkened  and 
benighted  soul  been  brought  into  the  light  and  lib- 
erty of  the  gospel. 

Another  duty  of  the  missionary,  in  addition  to 
catechising  the  children  and  preaching  to  the 
adults,  was  to  visit  the  sick  and  aged  at  their  cabins. 


Notes  from  the  Pioneers  251 

In  this  way  he  reached  a  surer  and  firmer  spot  in 
the  negro  heart  than  in  almost  any  other;  for  by 
these  visits  he  made  it  plain  to  the  occupant  of  the 
humble  cabin  that  he  was  not  ashamed  to  enter  it, 
or  to  grasp  him  by  his  rough  and  toil-worn  hand 
as  a  friend  and  brother;  or,  kneeling  upon  the 
floor  beside  the  rude  bed,  to  offer  fervent  petition 
to  God  in  his  behalf.  In  very  few  instances  did  it 
fail  to  take  the  simple,  rugged  heart  and  bind  it 
firmly  to  the  cross. 

It  was  on  one  of  these  visits  that  I  first  became 
acquainted  with  old  Friday.  He  was  a  genuine 
African,  not  so  long  from  his  native  wilds  and 
greegree  worship  that  the  shadows  of  them  did 
not  still  hover  about  him.  But  Friday  had  that 
in  his  heart  now  that  shed  light  upon  all  the  dark 
places.  He  was  so  happy  in  his  religion,  so  in- 
tensely grateful  to  the  man  who  had  first  brought 
him  to  the  light — our  dear  and  departed  Brother 
Coburn — that  he  came  near  to  drifting  back  toward 
the  dangerous  shoals  of  his  old  idol  worship  by 
setting  up  unto  himself  an  idol  in  the  flesh.  At  one 
time,  if  Brother  Coburn' s  name  was  even  men- 
tioned in  his  presence,  new  life  seemed  to  possess 
him.  He  would  roll  his  sightless  eyes  around  and 
exclaim:  "Way  he  dey?  [Where  is  he?]  Way 
he  dey?     Let  me  see  um !  " 

Friday  was  fully  eighty  years  old  at  the  time  I 
met  him,  but  his  mind  was  still  vivid  with  memo- 
ries of  his  native  land.  In  the  clear,  peaceful  light 
of  the  gospel  that  had  come  upon  him,  he  was  a 


252  The  Gospel  among-  the  Slaves. 

living  illustration  of  the  power  of  the  word  of  Jesus 
Christ  to  tame  and  make  as  new  creatures  his  sav- 
age race.  All  Friday's  remembrances  of  having 
had  any  form  of  religion  in  his  native  land  was  that 
of  prostrating  himself  when  the  sun  or  moon  arose, 
and  in  crying:  "Allah  II  Allah!"  One  conver- 
sation I  had  with  him  deserves  to  be  recorded,  as 
showing  the  truly  benighted  condition  of  these 
poor  creatures  when  first  brought  from  their  native 
wilds.  On  entering  his  cabin  I  said  to  him:  "Well, 
Friday,  how'dye?" 

"  T'anke,  my  mausa,  I  dey  bless  de  Jesus. 
Mausa,  I  jis  wake  up;  I  been  da  dream.  I  see 
one  all  white.  He  say:  'Friday,  you  b'long  to 
me.'  I  say:  'Lord,  what  you  sabe  me  for,  po' 
sinner?'  He  say:  'Neber  mine,  I  sabe  you.'  He 
say:  'Friday,  you  lub  me?'  I  say:  'Yes,  my 
Lord.'  He  say:  '  Berry  well  den,  bime  by  I  come 
tek  you  home.'  O  my  mausa,"  turning  his  sight- 
less eyes  full  upon  me,  from  which  the  tears 
coursed  down  his  dusky  cheeks,  and  extending 
his  arm  upward,  "  I  want  to  go  home  !  I  weary,  I 
weary  to  get  home  !  " 

I  said  to  him:  "But  you  must  patiently  wait  the 
Lord's  time,  Friday." 

"Trute,  my  mausa,  trute !  De  Lord  no  reddy 
yet.     I  'tay  here  lillie  bit  longer." 

I  asked  him  if  they  knew  anything  about  God  in 
his  country. 

"Dey  no  t'ink  'pon  um;  dey  t'ink  dey  mek 
demself." 


Notes  from  the  Pioneers.  253 

**  How  long  were  you  in  this  country  before  you 
heard  about  Jesus,  Friday?" 

"  Long,  long  enough,  my  mausa !  " 
"  Who  first  talked  to  you  about  him?  " 
A  smile  of  joy  inexpressible  radiated  his  with- 
ered old  face  as  he  cried:  "Aha,  Mass  Coburn ! 
Mass  Coburn  !  "  repeating  over  and  over  again  the 
name  of  the  missionary,  as  though  but  to  call  its 
syllables  was  a  delight  that  thrilled  his  soul. 

Friday  rarely  attended  preaching,  his  age  and 
infirmities  confining  him  closely  to  the  house. 
When  he  did,  it  was  an  occasion  that  made  its  im- 
pression upon  all.  Hovv  vividly  I  recall  one  of 
these  occasions !  I  had  already  begun  the  services 
when,  happening  to  glance  up,  I  saw  the  old  man 
come  tottering  in,  leaning  upon  the  arm  of  his  son. 
On  entering  the  church  he  paused  for  a  moment, 
clasped  his  old  and  trembling  hands  together  and 
looked  upward  with  a  countenance  beaming  with 
devout  thanksgiving.  Never  have  I  seen  a  look 
upon  a  human  face  that  so  thrilled  me  with  the 
intense  fervor  of  its  devotion.  So  grateful  was 
he  to  be  once  more  within  the  house  of  God  that 
his  withered  old  face  shone  as  though  the  light 
streaming  from  the  very  foot  of  Calvary  gleamed 
upon  it. 

At  the  close  of  the  service  I  lingered  to  talk  with 
him.  How  his  grateful  expressions  toward  the 
missionaries  and  their  work  among  his  people 
cheered  my  heart,  giving  it  a  fresh  impetus  in  its 
labors !  I  could  not  refrain  from  asking  him  if  he 
17 


254  '^^^^  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

was  sorry  he  had  been  brought  to  this  country.  You 
should  have  seen  his  countenance  as  he  rephed: 
"  Ough,  mausa,  buckra  country  too  much  better 
dan  nigger  country !  Too  much  better !  too  much 
better !  Nigger  country  you  can't  go  from  here  to 
nex'  place  by  yerse'f ;  nigger  meet  you  in  depath; 
he  got  knife,  he  kille  you.  All  you  got  do  in  dis 
country  is  worrack  [work].  Friday  got  good 
mausa,  good  missus;  he  ole.  Friday  do  not'ing, 
mausa  tek  care  o'  him;  anyt'ing  Friday  want  he 
get  um.  Berry  well  den,  I  jis  de  wait  till  de  good 
Massa  way  up  top  senna  for  me." 

It  was  not  uncommon  often  to  be  sent  for  to  go 
to  see  dying  negroes.  I  thank  my  Master  that  I 
never  once  turned  a  deaf  ear  to  any  of  these  calls. 
Once  I  performed  the  burial  rite  over  one  of  these 
humble  slaves  at  night.  The  memory  lingers  viv- 
idly to  this  day. 

I  left  home  about  sunset,  on  a  calm  and  pleasant 
evening,  and  took  my  way  along  the  high  bluff  of 
the  river.  The  distance  w^as  four  or  five  miles,  so 
that  it  was  dark  ere  I  arrived  at  the  plantation. 
Just  before  the  dead  man's  door  was  the  corpse, 
already  in  its  narrow  house.  Beside  it  sat  the 
widow,  and  to  her  I  addressed  myself,  bidding  her 
trust  in  God,  "  the  Husband  of  the  widow  and  the 
Father  of  the  fatherless."  His  fellow-servants 
were  seated  around,  the  deep-drawn  sigh  showing 
their  sorrow  for  the  departed,  their  sympathy  with 
the  bereaved.  I  addressed  them  on  the  uncertainty 
of  life,  the   necessity  of  making  preparation  for 


Notes  from  the  Pioneers.  255 

death — in  a  word,  I  preached  Jesus  and  the  resur- 
rection, and  by  the  ghmmering  of  the  lightwood 
fire  was  the  burial  service  read,  and  the  body  com- 
mitted to  the  dust. 

It  was  after  9  o'clock  as  I  took  my  way  home- 
ward, and  passed  through  the  dark  avenue  of  oaks, 
trusting  to  the  instinct  of  my  horse  to  find  the  way, 
illumined  momentarily  by  the  fitful  flash  of  the 
firefly.  It  was  a  time  for  serious  thought,  for  a 
communion  with  the  heart  and  with  God.  I  asked 
myself  if  I  had  tried  in  every  way  to  fulfill  my  duty 
since  I  had  come  to  these  perishing  souls  to  teach 
them  the  way,  the  truth,  and  the  life?  Sweet  in- 
deed was  the  whisper  that  came  in  answer  to  that 
question.  Forgotten  now  were  all  the  pains  and 
toils  of  the  Vv^ay.  The  true  missionary  glow  was 
burning  within.  A  peace  unutterable  filled  my 
soul  as  to  myself  I  murmured  the  lines : 

Labor  is  rest  and  pain  is  s^veet, 
If  thou,  my  God,  art  there. 

I  felt  that  God  had  indeed  been  with  me;  that 
he  had  blessed  my  labors,  and  I  felt  the  same 
sweet  assurance  many  and  many  tim.es  afterward 
on  the  other  mission  to  which  I  was  sent  in  1855  • 
Black  River  and  Pedee,  from  which  I  vv^as  re- 
moved to  the  upper  country  of  Carolina  owing  to 
the  debilitating  attacks  of  fever  engendered  by 
the  rice  fields.  Here,  after  several  months  in  the 
purer  air  of  the  Piedmont  country,  I  was  fully  re- 
covered. 


256  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

The   Congaree   Mission,  with   Other  Points 
AND  Items.* 

By  Rev.  William  Martin,  of  the  South  Carolina  Conference. 

At  the  Conference  that  met  in  Fayetteville,  N. 
C,  in  December,  1845,  Bishop  Andrew  presiding, 
I  was  appointed  "  a  missionary  to  the  plantations 
of  the  Congaree  River." 

To  this  appointment  my  heart  said  "Amen !  " 
God  had  the  past  year,  in  Wilmington,  given  me 
great  success  in  my  ministrations  to  my  colored 
charge,  and  I  felt  he  would  again. 

Yes,  my  heart  was  enlisted  in  this  work  of  giving 
the  gospel  to  our  servants  at  the  South,  and  I  be- 
gan with  health  renewed,  and,  thank  God,  I  gave 
to  this  work  six  years  of  the  prime  of  my  life  and 
ministry.  It  was  no  sinecure.  I  knew  it  was  hard 
work  and  poor  pay — in  fact,  so  poor  that  all  our 
own  resources  and  the  income  of  a  school  my  wife 
opened  were  found  necessary  for  our  support.  But 
the  work  paid  in  many  ways  besides  money:  it  was 
a  great  work,  a  momentous  work,  a  special  one  for 
the  South.  If  we  did  not  do  it,  no  one  would  or 
could.  No  one  should  think  himself  too  good  for 
it.     I  for  one  did  not. 

This  year  my  mission  lay  along  the  Congaree 
River,  reaching  down  the  river  from  Columbia 
about  twenty  miles,  and  extending  to  the  sand 
hills  on  either  side.     We  had  on  the  mission  one 

*  It  is  but  just  to  the  memory  of  Mr.  Martin  to  state  that  this 
article  is  compiled  from  two  or  three  chapters  of  reminiscences 
written  by  him  at  different  periods  for  the  press. 


(256) 


REV.    WILLIAM     MARTIN,    D.D., 

Of  the  South  Carolina  Conference. 


JVotes  from  the  Pioneers.  257 

regular  church  building,  and  one  used  both  as 
a  church  and  a  schoolhouse.  At  the  other  ap- 
pointments we  occupied  large  barns  or  gin  houses, 
and  sometimes  in  the  summer  months  for  preach- 
ing and  catechising  we  sought  the  shade  of  an  um- 
brageous oak  or  gum  tree.  I  usually  preached 
at  three  plantations,  generally  some  miles  apart, 
on  every  Sunday,  catechising  after  the  regular 
preaching  service.  I  also  during  the  week  cate- 
chised the  children  and  visited  the  sick  in  their 
humble  cabins,  where  in  sickness  and  death  I  fre- 
quently witnessed  evidences  of  faith  and  hope  that 
greatly  confirmed  my  confidence  in  the  power  of 
our  blessed  Christianity  to  comfort  and  sustain  its 
believers. 

This  mission  had  been  previously  served  by 
Brother  Samuel  Townsend,  its  first  missionary, 
who,  at  the  Conference  of  1844,  reported  300 
Church  members  and  262  children  catechised. 
In  1845,  when  I  came  to  the  charge,  there  had 
been  a  small  increase  both  in  members  and  in  cat- 
echumens. There  were  eight  regular  appoint- 
ments in  all,  and  two  or  three  plantations  where 
I  preached  occasionally,  thus  reaching  a  popula- 
tion of  from  1,500  to  2,000  souls. 

One  of  my  principal  appointments  was  at  Mill 
Creek  Church,  one  of  the  oldest  in  the  state,  and 
where  many  stirring  scenes  in  early  South  Caro- 
lina Methodism  had  been  witnessed.  It  was  for- 
merly what  was  known  as  a  free  church,  one  not 
suppUed  regularly,  and  had  been  taken  into  the 


258  The  Gospel  among-  the  Slaves. 

mission  by  my  predecessor,  Brother  Townsend. 
It  was  now  one  of  my  regular  appointments,  at 
which  I  preached  one  Sabbath  in  every  three. 
Both  white  and  black  worshiped  at  Mill  Creek 
Church.  At  one  common  altar  master  and  slave 
took  the  sacrament;  and  what  was  very  noticeable, 
there  was  no  irreverent  hurrying  away  at  its  close, 
as  is  often  the  case. 

But  with  the  morning's  preaching,  singing,  cat- 
echising, and  administering  the  sacrament,  the 
missionary's  day  of  labor  was  but  half  over,  for 
there  were  the  afternoon  services,  with  other  min- 
isterial duties  intervening.  Often  I  have  traveled 
a  dozen  miles  through  the  snow  or  sunshine, 
whichever  the  case  might  be,  preached  from  two 
to  three  sermons,  held  a  love  feast  or  class  meet- 
ing, catechised  the  children,  administered  the 
communion  or  the  rite  of  baptism,  and  married 
a  couple,  all  in  one  day. 

Intimately  associated  with  the  religious  interests 
of  the  servants  was  the  missionary's  influence  over 
the  masters.  So  I  endeavored,  by  the  grace  of 
my  Master,  to  be  all  things  to  all  men,  to  the 
learned  and  the  unlearned,  to  the  bond  and  the 
free.  As  I  prayed  for  the  soul  of  the  slave,  so  did 
I  pray  for  the  soul  of  the  planter;  and  two  of  the 
wealthiest  and  most  influential  of  these  (with  their 
families)  Maj.  Lykes  and  Gen.  Hopkins,  joined 
our  missionary  Church  at  Mill  Creek. 

One  of  the  most  prominent  patrons  of  our  mis- 
sion was  Thomas  Heath,  Esq.     He  had  a  place  of 


Notes  from  the  Pioneers.  259 

worship  for  his  slaves  on  his  plantation,  and  in 
every  way  contributed  to  their  spiritual  welfare. 
Another  patron  was  Col.  Wade  Hampton.  His 
preaching  place  was  adjacent  to  the  negro  quar- 
ters. In  every  way  the  situation  was  novel  and 
pleasing.  An  avenue  of  large  water  oaks  led  from 
the  quarters  to  the  place  of  worship,  forming  an 
impervious  shade  to  the  fiercest  noonday  sun.  It 
was  but  one  of  the  many  appliances  for  the  com- 
fort of  the  blacks  of  this  large  and  admirably 
conducted  plantation.  The  room  stood  directly 
over  the  foaming  waters  of  the  creek,  that  in 
front  spread  out  into  a  pond,  and  in  the  rear 
went  piping  off  into  a  dancing  cascade.  It  was 
neatly  and  comfortably  fitted  up  with  pulpit  and 
seats. 

At  this  mission,  as  at  the  others,  there  were 
many  living,  sneaking  examples  of  what  the  gos- 
pel could  do,  and  had  done,  for  this  race.  Usu- 
ally before  the  sermon,  there  was  held  a  class 
meeting.  How  rich  was  the  Christian  experience 
of  many  of  these  old  slaves  !  How  gratefully  they 
testified  to  their  blessings !  How  fervently  they 
thanked  God  for  the  comforts  he  had  given  them, 
for  their  kind  master  and  gentle  mistress;  but 
above  all  for  the  blessed  gospel  that  had  been 
brought  to  their  very  cabin  doors  ! 

One  of  these  ripe  Christians  was  old  Daniel, 
whose  hope  seemed  ever  near  fruition.  Like  his 
namesake,  he  was  a  man  of  faith  and  prayer;  his 
example  ever  a  practical  comment  on  the  good  the 


26o  The  Gospel  twiong  the  Slaves. 

missions  had  done  among  his  people  on  that  plan- 
tation at  least. 

After  the  class  meeting  the  sermon  was  preached. 
Then  came  the  catechising  of  the  children.  This 
was  done  occasionally  on  the  Sabbath,  that  others 
beside  those  in  the  regular  week  day  classes  might 
receive  the  benefit  of  this  mode  of  instruction. 

On  one  occasion  as  I  had  finished  catechising, 
and  each  member  of  the  class  had,  as  usual,  come 
forward  to  shake  hands  with  me,  a  venerable  old 
negro  handed  me  a  letter  which  he  requested  me 
to  read  to  the  congregation.  The  proprietor  of 
the  plantation  had  sent  a  part  of  his  force  a  few 
years  before  to  colonize  a  plantation  in  Mississip- 
pi. This  was  a  letter  from  one  of  the  people  out 
there,  telling  of  their  comforts  and  privileges  in 
that  distant  country,  but  especially  giving  vent,  in 
strong  terms,  to  their  gratitude  that  there  they  had 
been  followed  by  the  ministry  of  the  gospel. 
There  too  they  had  a  missionary  to  administer 
to  them  the  word  of  life,  and  many  had  been 
awakened  and  converted.  This  was  what  was 
known  as  the  Lake  Washington  Mission,  and 
which  afterward  became  one  of  the  most  flour- 
ishing in  that  section  of  country. 

Six  years  in  all  I  spent  on  the  Congaree  Mis- 
sion, when  I  left  it  to  take  other  work,  and  Broth- 
er Nicholas  Talley  was  appointed  to  succeed  me, 
which  he  did,  following  up  the  work  most  faith- 
fully until  it  was  broken  up  by  the  war. 

Besides  this  work  on  the  Congaree  Mission,  I 


Notes  from  the  Pioneers.  261 

had  other  work  among  the  negroes  in  the  cities. 
I  preached  to  large  congregations  of  them  in  Wil- 
mington, Charleston,  Columbia,  and  other  Caro- 
hna  cities.  The  galleries  were  always  given  up  to 
them,  and  long  before  the  regular  missions  to  them 
began,  in  1828,  they  were  considered  a  part  and 
parcel  of  the  Church. 

It  cannot  be  refuted  that  from  the  earhest  ap- 
pearance of  Methodism  in  the  South  the  negro  has 
shared  largely  in  the  labors  and  care  of  her  minis- 
try. The  Minutes  make  the  first  mention  of  mem- 
bers in  Charleston  in  1 786,  35  white  and  23  colored ; 
and  when  I  was  stationed  in  Charleston,  with 
Revs.  Wilham  M.  Kennedy  and  George  F.  Pierce, 
in  1834,  we  had  under  our  pastoral  care  3,249  col- 
ored members.  All  the  Methodist  churches,  as 
previously  estimated,  were  built  with  reference  to 
the  accommodation  of  the  colored  people.  They 
sat  under  the  same  roof  and  enjoyed  the  same 
preaching  with  the  white  people ;  they  communed 
at  the  same  altars ;  they  were  served  by  the  same 
hands,  and  drank  in  remembrance  of  the  crucified 
One  from  the  same  cup.  They  shared  in  the  same 
class  meetings  and  love  feasts ;  they  were  married 
and  baptized  by  the  same  ministers,  and  thousands 
upon  thousands  of  them  were  brought  to  a  saving 
knowledge  of  the  truth,  and  were  made  happy 
partakers  of  the  gospel  hope  of  salvation. 

When  I  was  admitted  into  the  South  Carolina 
Conference  (in  February,  1828),  there  were  in  the 
limits  of  the  Conference,  which  then  included  a 


262  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

large  portion  of  North  Carolina,  all  of  South  Car- 
olina, Georgia,  Florida,  and  a  part  of  Alabama, 
18,460  colored  members.  This  year  (1828),  as  is 
well  known,  was  the  year  in  which  began  the  sys- 
tematic operations  among  the  slaves  on  the  planta- 
tions. The  Minutes  show  how  well  and  rapidly 
the  work  spread,  how  faithfully  and  zealously 
those  who  had  it  in  charge  labored. 

At  the  end  of  the  Conference  year  1845,  at 
which  time  I  was  sent  to  the  work,  Georgia  and 
Florida  having  been  organized  into  a  separate 
Conference,  there  was  in  the  South  Carolina  Con- 
ference 25  ministers  devoted  to  the  colored  mis- 
sions alone,  supported  by  collections  taken  up 
within  the  Conference  bounds,  and  the  colored 
membership  had  increased  to  41 ,074.  In  i860  we 
had  in  the  South  Carolina  Conference  alone  a 
colored  membership  of  49,774.  This  year  there 
were  30  ministers  employed  in  this  great  work, 
and  the  South  Carolina  Conference  raised  for  do- 
mestic colored  missions  $24,463.54.  For  several 
years  previous  to  the  war  the  South  Carolina  Con- 
ference raised  and  expended  annually  for  the  reli- 
gious advancement  of  the  negroes  sums  varying 
from  $20,000  to  $32,000,  and  employed  from  25 
to  35  of  her  ministers  in  preaching  to  them  the 
glorious  gospel  of  the  blessed  God. 

I  was  frequently  sent  for  to  marry  or  to  bury  ne- 
groes who  had  at  different  times  been  under  my 
charge.  As  to  the  latter  sad  rite,  I  had  for  years 
standing  engagements  with  many  of  them,  noticea- 


Notes  from  the  Pioncei's.  263 

bly  among  these  Ned  Arthur  and  Sancho  Cooper, 
of   Columbia.     I    happened    to   be   in   Charleston 
when  Ned  Arthur  died,  in  1869.     He  had  been  a 
member  of  the  Methodist  Church  for  more  than 
fifty  years,  and  a  preacher  and  leader  among  his 
people  for  over  forty  years,  honored  and  respected 
by  all  who  knew  him — a  faithful  servant  and  a  sin- 
cere Christian.     He  had  long  since  engaged  me  to 
preach  his  funeral,  and  when  dying  charged  his 
family  to  send  for  me  and  keep  his  body  until  I 
came.     They    telegraphed    for    me,    and    I    left 
Charleston  at  9  p.m.,  came  home,  buried  the  ven- 
erable man,  and  hastened  back  to  Charleston  the 
next  night  to  keep  my  engagements  in  that  city. 
I  remember  a  little  instance  that  happened  in  con- 
nection with  this  burial.     On  my  return  I  met  on 
the  train   a  Northern  gentleman  of  considerable 
influence,  who  expressed  great  surprise  when  he 
learned  of  the  errand  from  which  I  was  returning. 
He  confessed  to  much  astonishment  at  a  feehng 
of  this  kind  existing  between  a  white  man  and  a 
negro  at  the  South. 

Sancho  Cooper  was  a  pure-blooded  African. 
He  was  for  many  years  the  faithful  ser\^ant  of  the 
celebrated  Thomas  Cooper,  LL.D.,  second  Pres- 
ident of  the  South  Carolina  College.  Sancho  had 
a  standing  engagement  with  me  for  more  than 
twenty-five  years  to  "preach  his  funeral."  At 
the  time  of  his  death  he  was  ninety-five  years  old, 
had  been  a  blameless  member  of  the  Methodist 
Church   about  seventy  years,  and   a  class  leader 


264  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

for  more  than  sixty  years,  and  throughout  had  the 
confidence  of  all,  black  and  white.  For  some 
years  previous  to  his  death  he  was  confined  to  his 
comfortable  cabin,  his  old  master,  Dr.  Cooper, 
having  left  in  his  will  a  sufficient  living  for  him  in 
his  old  age.  He,  however,  still  kept  his  class  and 
prayer  meetings,  his  members  coming  to  him  at 
his  own  house. 

I  have  been  moved  to  this  digression  from  the 
regular  course  of  my  narrative,  and  that  I  might 
give  a  consecutive  view  of  my  personal  observa- 
tion and  experience  of  the  efforts  Southern  Meth- 
odism has  been  making  for  the  past  fifty-four  years 
for  the  enlightenment,  elevation,  and  salvation  of 
*' the  brother  in  black."  There  appears  to  have 
been  recently  a  great  awakening  in  some  quarters, 
both  North  and  South,  of  interest  in  behalf  of  the 
colored  people  in  our  midst.  I  am  glad  to  see 
this,  but  let  us  not,  in  our  zeal  for  his  future 
good,  forget  what  our  fathers  did  for  him  under 
the  most  trying  circumstances  of  the  past;  how 
for  him  they  toiled  and  suffered  and  some  of  them 
died;  how,  when  every  other  white  man  fled  from 
those  miasmatic  regions,  the  humble  missionary 
held  on  his  weary  v/ay,  teaching  the  living  how  to 
live,  and  the  dying  how  to  die,  while  trusting  in 
the  merits  of  the  blood  of  the  Lamb  shed  for  the 
redemption  of  the  whole  human  race. 


Notes  from  the  Pioneers.  265 

Sea  Island  Slave  Mission  Work. 

Bj  Rev.  M.  L.  Banks,  of  the  South  Carolina  Conference. 

My  first  experience  as  a  missionary  to  the  slaves 
was  on  the  Edisto,  Jehossee,  and  Fenwick  Mis- 
sion. It  was  in  1849.  Rev.  Charles  Wilson  was 
my  senior  and,  as  I  remember,  the  founder  of  the 
mission.  He  was  the  negro's  friend.  He  sacri- 
ficed much  to  show  him  the  way  of  life,  and  he 
succeeded.  About  twenty  years  of  his  ministerial 
life  was  spent  on  this  mission.  It  must  have  been 
a  severe  trial  to  himself  and  family  to  be  isolated 
from  congenial  companionship  during  these  long 
years.  What  but  devotion  to  the  negro's  spiritual 
weKare  could  have  reconciled  him  to  this?  He 
was  there  for  near  two  decades,  and  likely  would 
have  ended  his  life  there  but  for  the  war  and  its 
results.  In  those  days  we  had  a  number  of  preach- 
ers who  could  adapt  themselves  to  the  comprehen- 
sion of  the  negro  in  preaching.  Of  these  Charles 
Wilson  was  in  the  lead.  But  he  never  talked  non- 
sense. He  never  let  himself  down  to  the  negro's 
way  of  talking,  but  strove  to  lift  him  up  to  his  o\nx\. 
I  once  asked  Brother  Wilson  to  give  me  some  les- 
sons  in  the  art  of  preaching  to  the  negroes.  His 
reply  was  characteristic.  "  In  preaching  to  ne- 
groes," said  he,  "  I  always  preach  the  best  I  can." 
He  thought  that  any  sort  of  talk  was  not  good 
enough  for  them. 

Our  work  that  year  covered  three  islands.  Fen- 
wick was  difficult  of  access,  with  a  wide  river  or 
sound  lying  between  it  and  Edisto.     Crossing  over 


266  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

and  back  in  a  small  boat  was  not  without  its  perils. 
On  Fenwick  we  were  furnished  with  a  pony  to  ride 
to  our  appointments.  This  sturdy  little  fellow  was 
so  used  to  mosquitoes  that  he  showed  little  signs 
of  discomfort,  though  his  neck  was  covered  with 
them  as  a  network. 

Jehossee  was  separated  from  Edisto  by  a  small 
creek  spanned  by  a  bridge.  That,  to  me,  was  the 
most  interesting  part  of  the  work.  Ex-Governor 
Aiken  lived  there,  and  was  sole  owner  of  the  is- 
land. He  owned  hundreds  of  negroes,  and  few 
slaves  ever  had  a  kinder  master.  His  negro  quar- 
ters looked  like  a  little  village,  and  much  whiter 
and  cleaner  than  many  villages  I  have  seen. 
The  large  building  he  had  erected  for  his  people 
to  worship  in  was  generally  crowded  at  the  hour 
of  preaching.  The  worshipers  appeared  in  decent 
apparel,  and  not  a  few  were  dressed  like  ladies 
and  gentlemen.  What  a  privilege  it  was  to  hear 
them  sing!  I  have  sat  in  the  pulpit  and  listened 
until  I  would  weep  for  joy. 

Mr.  Mikel,  another  planter,  also  had  a  nice 
church  erected  for  his  negroes  in  a  pretty  spot. 
He  and  his  family  were  in  the  habit  of  worshiping 
with  them.  They  would  kneel  at  the  chancel 
where  their  slaves  did,  and  receive  the  holy  com- 
munion at  the  hands  of  the  same  minister. 

The  Savannah  River  Mission  lay  in  sight  of  the 
city  of  Savannah,  Ga.  Rev.  Reddick  Bunch  and 
I,  both  young  men,  received  an  appointment  to 
this  work  in  185 1.     Bunch  was  a  young  minister  of 


Notes  from  the  Pioneers.  267 

good  mind,  of  fine  social  qualities,  and  deeply  in- 
terested in  his  work.  We  boarded  toj^ether  with 
*'  Uncle  Tom  Hardee,"  as  he  was  familiarly  called, 
and  I  promised  myself  much  pleasure  in  associa- 
ting with  him.  But  alas !  he  died  at  the  beginning 
of  our  first  year's  work.  We  carried  his  body  to 
Purysburg,  some  distance  up  the  river,  and  laid  it 
away  until  the  resurrection  morn.  The  work  was 
quite  enough  for  two  men,  but  after  Brother 
Bunch's  death  I  had  it  all  to  do.  In  serving 
the  mission  I  had  to  travel  in  the  saddle  on  rice 
field  banks.  These  banks  were  ofttimes  so  soft 
that  even  a  small  horse  with  a  light  rider  was  in 
danger  of  going  down  to  stay.  What  must  it  have 
been  for  a  large  man  like  Brother  Charles  Betts, 
for  instance,  who  was  my  presiding  elder?  He 
tried  it  once  or  twice,  however,  and  got  through 
manfully,  but  always  afterward  preferred  a  route 
of  firmer  footing. 

Judge  Huger,  a  distinguished  jurist,  was  a  prom- 
inent patron  of  the  Savannah  River  Mission.  He 
was  deeply  interested  in  the  work  of  the  mission- 
ary among  his  people.  He  talked  to  me  fully  of 
his  own  spiritual  well-being.  I  trust  that,  ere  he 
was  laid  away  in  the  narrow  house  appointed  for 
all  living,  he  found  firm  footing  upon  the  "  Rock 
of  Ages." 

In   1854  I  was  sent  to  the  Waccamav/  Mission 

with  Rev.  William  Carson  as  my  colaborer.     An 

intimate  friendship  sprung  up  between  us  which 

has  lasted  to  the  present.     Having  a  family,  he 

18 


268  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

occupied  a  part  of  the  parsonage,  and  Rev.  J.  L, 
Belin,  a  superannuate,  with  whom  I  boarded,  the 
other  part.  The  mission  extended  from  a  Httle 
above  the  parsonage  down  the  Waccamaw  on  the 
right  and  the  seacoast  on  the  left  to  a  point  oppo- 
site Georgetown  across  Winyavv^  Bay.  Rev.  J.  A. 
Minick  spent  many  years  on  this  mission,  and  in 
1855  went  to  his  reward.  His  works  praise  him. 
To  the  faithful  work  he  did  the  mission  owed  much 
of  its  prosperity.  His  remains  and  those  of  Broth- 
er Belin  lie  in  sight  of  the  parsonage. 

Of  the  planters  who  patronized  the  mission  I 
have  very  kind  remembrances,  of  one  in  particular, 
a  Mr.  Alston.  Whenever  the  missionary  wanted 
to  visit  Georgetown,  his  boat  and  oarsmen  were  at 
his  service.  They  could  come  and  go  when  they 
pleased.  The  distance  across  the  beautiful  Win- 
yaw  Bay  to  town  was,  I  think,  three  miles.  Joe 
Hemingway,  one  of  the  overseers,  had  a  Metho- 
dist family,  and  was  a  Methodist  himself.  I  al- 
ways felt  at  home  in  his  family,  where  I  knew  a 
hospitable  welcome  awaited  me. 

Combahee  was  my  last  mission,  but  by  no  means 
the  least.  It  was  first-class,  but  I  dreaded  it.  My 
predecessor  had  had  trouble.  Could  I  hope  to 
still  the  troubled  waters  and  bring  about  a  reign 
of  peace?  I  was  leaving  one  of  the  best  circuits 
in  the  Conference,  and  I  wondered  why  I  was 
changed.  When  I  found  out  the  reason,  I  could  not 
but  feel  the  compliment.  The  planters  had  been 
careless  on  this  mission.     They  had  provided  no 


Notes  from  the  Pionca-s.  269 

proper  dwelling  house  for  the  missionary  and  his 
family.  I  found  them  in  a  muttering  mood  over 
the  constant  change  in  preachers.  When  I  spoke 
to  them  of  the  poor  accommodations,  they  seemed 
for  the  first  time  to  realize  their  neglect  in  that  di- 
rection, and  to  be  ashamed  of  it.  A  comfortable 
home  for  the  missionary  was  soon  secured,  and 
there  was  no  change  of  preachers  for  five  years. 
Indeed  I  stayed  on  the  work  as  long  as  the  Yan- 
kee gunboats  would  allow  me  to  stay. 

I  must  here  speak  of  the  overseers  on  this  work. 
They  and  their  families  were,  in  the  aggregate, 
respectable  members  of  society,  and  connected 
with  the  Methodist  Church.  They  lived  in  com- 
fort, and  their  tables  were  spread  with  tempting 
viands.  The  missionary  felt  at  home  among  them. 
I  had  a  very  warm  attachment  for  many  of  them, 
and  parted  from  them  with  a  pang  of  regret. 

Abram  Thomas  stood  at  the  head  of  his  class  as 
an  overseer.  He  was  independent,  having  a  fine 
plantation  of  his  own  in  Southwestern  Georgia. 
His  salary  was  $3,000  a  year,  and  besides  this  his 
table  was  furnished,  free  of  charge,  with  every- 
thing the  plantation  afforded.  It  took  a  consider- 
ation of  this  sort  to  induce  him  to  leave  his  com- 
fortable home  in  Georgia.  I  esteemed  Stephen 
Boineau  as  a  Christian  gentleman.  He  was  cour- 
teous, refined,  intelligent,  and  pious.  His  wife 
was  his  equal  in  every  respect.  The  children 
were  orderly  and  obedient.  A  better-regulated 
household   I   have   seldom,   if  ever,  visited.      Sib 


270  The  Gospel  amojig  the  Slaves. 

Jones,  Boineau's  brother-in-law,  was  the  wag  of 
Combahee.  He  was  pleasant,  playful,  and  witty. 
If  the  missionary  was  ever  troubled  with  the  blues, 
let  him  visit  Sib  and  they  were  sure  to  vanish. 

Of  the  Combahee  planters  I  have  very  pleasant 
recollections.  They  valued  the  missionary  not  only 
as  the  pastor  of  their  slaves,  but  as  a  companion 
of  themselves  and  families.  They  welcomed  him 
to  their  houses,  and  were  not  afraid  of  their  fami- 
lies coming  in  contact  with  him.  It  was  not  so 
everywhere.  They  lived  in  princely  style.  The 
dishes  on  their  tables  were  of  the  best  quahty  and 
in  great  variety.  I  declined  nothing  but  the  wines 
and  liquors,  and  it  was  a  trial  to  do  that.  To  hold 
to  my  temperance  principles  under  a  perfect  bat- 
tery of  both  masculine  and  feminine  hospitality 
was  not  the  easiest  thing  in  the  world  to  do. 

Charles  Lowndes,  James  B.  Heyward,  and  Dan- 
iel Blake  had  very  neat  chapels  on  their  planta- 
tions, where  not  only  their  negroes  but  themselves 
and  their  families  worshiped.  Charles  Lowndes 
lived  the  lowest  down  on  the  mission.  His  house 
was  the  home  of  the  missionary  whenever  he  chose 
to  make  it  so.  He  was  a  noble,  upright,  consci- 
entious man,  extremely  courteous  to  those  in  an 
inferior  situation.  James  B.  Heyward  lived  near 
the  center  of  the  mission.  His  was  an  attractive 
home.  He  had  a  large  estate,  but  was  a  plain 
man,  simple  in  manner,  courteous  in  deportment, 
fine-looking,  and  of  dignified  bearing.  He  gave 
liberally  to  the  support  of  the  mission. 


Notes  from  the  Pioneers.  271 

Daniel  Blake's  plantation  lay  in  the  extreme  up- 
per end  of  our  mission.  He,  as  I  remember,  was 
an  Englishman  by  birth.  He  was  a  noble  speci- 
men of  humanity.  He  despised  affectation  and 
looked  with  perfect  contempt  upon  all  snobbery. 
There  was  no  man  more  in  sympathy  vvith  the 
work  of  the  South  Carohna  Conference  among 
the  rice  fields  and  cotton  plantations  of  the  coun- 
try than  he.  Though  a  member  of  the  Episcopal 
Church,  I  think  he  was  about  half  Methodist.  At 
the  handsome  church  building  in  sight  of  his  resi- 
dence, where  I  preached  to  the  negroes  of  his 
place,  he  was  a  regular  attendant  and  a  close  lis- 
tener. When  he  had  company  on  preaching  day 
at  the  church,  he  proposed  to  the  company  that 
they  all  go  out  to  the  preaching,  and  they  did  it. 
He  once  said  to  me  that  he  wanted  the  missionary 
on  Combahee  not  only  to  preach  to  his  people, 
bat  to  visit  his  family.  He  lived  up  to  that  senti- 
ment.    His  house  was  the  missionary's  home. 

Mr.  Blake  was  a  most  humane  master,  and  his 
negroes  were  devoted  to  him.  I  think  they  would 
have  fought  for  him  to  the  death  had  the  occasion 
for  it  arisen.  I  remember  preaching  to  his  people 
on  the  atonement  and  used  an  illustration  which 
they  interpreted  to  mean  that  their  master  had 
sold  them  to  a  neighbor.  The  excitement  was 
tremendous.  They  ran  to  him  from  all  parts  of 
the  quarter  to  know  if  such  was  the  case.  He  ex- 
plained, and  they  were  content.  There  was,  in 
their  eye,  no  other  master  like  the  one  they  had. 


272  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

I  think  there  was  not  a  great  deal  of  clear  money 
made  on  Mr.  Blake's  plantation.  He  fed  and 
clothed  his  negroes  too  well  and  worked  them  too 
moderately  to  admit  of  that.  Among  the  devout 
masters  who  will  be  saved  in  heaven  with  their 
pious  slaves  I  feel  safe  in  counting  Daniel  Blake, 
the  missionaries'  friend  and  the  negroes'  bene- 
factor. 

We  had  no  protracted  meetings  on  negro  mis- 
sions. Our  preaching  was  confined  chiefly  to  the 
Sabbath.  Revivals,  as  conducted  among  the 
whites,  were  not  practicable.  At  the  stated  ap- 
pointment, however,  we  had,  now  and  then,  sea- 
sons of  refreshing.  Penitential  tears  and  tears  of 
joy  would  at  times  fall  like  raindrops.  A  great 
drawback  to  the  preaching  of  the  missionary  was 
dullness  of  comprehension  on  the  part  of  his  hear- 
ers. Such  was  to  be  expected  in  view  of  the 
extreme  ignorance  prevailing.  Intelligence  was 
mainly  confined  to  house  servants.  But  thank 
God,  the  experience  and  practice  of  religion  was 
not  confined  to  the  intelligent.  "The  wayfaring 
man,  though  a  fool"  may  know  enough  of  the 
way  of  life  to  walk  therein.  It  would  not  be  put- 
ting it  too  strong  to  say  that  thousands  of  unlet- 
tered negroes  on  our  missions  were  led  into  the 
light  of  God's  countenance  by  the  faithful  preach- 
ing of  their  pastors. 

I  touch  now  upon  the  rice  field  negro's  type  of 
piety.  Rev.  Mr.  W is  credited  with  the  re- 
mark that  the   negro  of  that  time  was  sadly  defi- 


Notes  froin  the  Pioneers.  273 

cient  in  the  three  cardinal  virtues  of  veracity, 
chastity,  and  honesty.  In  these  particulars,  how- 
ever, ther«  was  marked  improvement  under  the 
power  of  the  gospel  as  preached  by  the  Methodist 
missionary.  The  marriage  relation  generally  had 
come  to  be  held  sacred,  and  but  few  cases  of  ly- 
ing and  steaHng  came  to  the  knowledge  of  the 
missionary.  Still,  in  our  estimate  of  the  religion 
of  our  parishioners,  there  was  need  of  the  exer- 
cise of  considerable  charity.  Of  course  their 
standard  of  Christian  morality  could  not  be  ex- 
pected to  measure  up  to  that  of  their  more  enlight- 
ened white  neighbors.  Where  little  is  given,  little 
is  required.  In  judging  the  debased  and  ignorant, 
the  principle  is  not  always  adhered  to  as  it  should 
be.  As  the  negro  race  advances  in  knowledge, 
both  mental  and  spiritual,  we  must  begin,  of 
course,  to  measure  them  by  a  stricter  standard.  As 
the}^  grow  in  intelligence  and  in  the  earnest  desire 
for  moral  and  spiritual  elevation,  so  will  the  effi- 
cacy of  the  gospel  to  touch  and  meet  every  need 
of  their  case  increase  with  corresponding  force. 
We  must  measure  one's  piety  by  his  knowledge 
of  God's  truth.  If  we  do  this  for  the  negro,  he 
will  compare  favorably  with  any  other  class  or 
race  of  equal  knowledge  of  the  Bible.  For  him 
Christianity  has  done  much.  It  found  him  igno- 
rant, debased,  scarcely  above  the  brute  order  in 
mental  and  spiritual  understanding.  It  left  him 
as  a  new  creature  in  Christ  Jesus.  What  may  it 
not  vet  do  for  him  ? 


274  '^^^^  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

Memorials  of  the  Pioneers. 

Rev.  Daniel  G.  McDaniel  was  born  in  George- 
town, S.  C,  on  February  15,  1791;  was  converted 
at  the  Light  Street  Church,  Baltimore,  Md.,  when 
a  youth  of  nineteen,  and  entered  the  ministry  in  the 
South  Carolina  Conference  in  1821.  He  served 
various  circuits  and  missions  from  that  year  on  to 
1854,  ^"  which  year  he  died  while  serving  the 
Wateree  Mission  for  his  seventh  year.  He  was  a 
true  man,  upright,  conscientious,  and  devoted  to 
duty  and  to  the  doctrines  of  his  Church.  No  man 
in  South  Carolina  or  elsewhere  did  more  for  the 
evangelization  of  the  colored  race  than  he.  One 
of  the  finest  tributes  to  his  memory  is  the  monu- 
ment erected  almost  solely  by  the  contributions  of 
the  negroes,  to  whom  he  had  been  as  an  apostle  of 
light. 

Mr.  McDaniel  was  one  of  four  Methodist  preach- 
ers who  married  the  four  daughters  of  Michael 
Schenck,  of  Lincolnton,  N.  C.  Judge  David 
Schenck,  of  Greensboro,  N.  C,  is  the  grandson 
of  Michael  Schenck.  In  recording  some  of  his 
early  recollections  of  his  kinsman,  Judge  Schenck 
says: 

I  frequently  accompanied  Mr.  McDaniel  on  his  "rounds"  to 
the  plantations  on  the  stated  days  for  catechising  the  children. 

The  little  negroes  v/ere  drawn  up  in  line,  and  I  was  very  much 
astonished  at  the  ease  and  rapidity  with  which  they  answered 
tlie  simple  questions  of  the  catechism.  They  knew  all  the  es- 
sential truths  of  salvation,  and  seemed  to  appreciate  them.  A 
prayer,  a  word  of  exhortation  and  kindness  ended  the  visit,  and 
the  dear  old  gentleman  never  turned  to  leave  v.ithout  being  fol- 
lowed by  the  "  God  bless  you  "  from  the  old  "  mauma,"  who  had 


]\'otcs  from  tht  Pioneers.  275 

the  children  in  charge.  If  any  were  sick,  they  were  visited  and 
comforted,  and  the  aged  received  a  word  of  sympathy  and  en- 
couragement. 

The  Sabbath  services  were  so  novel  and  interesting  that  I 
was  greatly  impressed  with  them.  Tlie  singing  was  so  full  of 
"the  Spirit"  that  the  singers  often  reached  a  sort  of  rhapsody 
or  joyful  exhilaration  that  gave  peculiar  interest  to  the  tune  and 
the  hymn.  The  prayers,  rude  in  language  and  boisterous  in 
tone,  were  still  full  of  faith  and  earnest  supplication. 

The  idiom  and  vocabulary  and  provincialisms  of  this  class  of 
people  in  that  region  were  so  peculiar  that  it  was  quite  difficult 
at  times  to  understand  the  language  or  to  comprehend  its  mean- 
ing. At  times  it  was  laughable,  and  at  others  it  impressed  the 
hearer  with  its  force  and  vigor  and  directness.  The  politeness 
of  the  negro  to  a  gentleman  never  failed  to  elicit  respect  and  a 
kindly  feeling  for  them. 

Mr.  McDaniel  continued  on  the  Wateree  Mission  until  his 
death,  and  was  buried  at  Camden,  where  a  monument  was 
erected  over  his  grave,  the  result  of  small  contributions  by  the 
slaves,  supplemented  by  their  masters.  He  died  like  a  patriarch 
and  was  "gathered  to  his  fathers,"  lamented,  respected,  and 
loved  by  all  who  knew  him. 

Mr.  McDaniel  was  a  soldier  in  1S12  in  the  second  war  with 
Great  Britain,  and  was  in  the  battle  for  the  defense  of  Baltimore. 
I  remember  to  have  heard  him  relate  the  anecdote  that  while 
the  troops  were  drawn  up  in  line  awaiting  the  attack  a  tall  sol- 
dier who  stood  immediately  behind  him  said  humorously, 
"  Dan,  3'ou  get  behind  here,  and  I  will  stand  in  front  so  the  balls 
can't  hit  you,"  and  stepped  forward  and  made  the  change,  laugh- 
ing at  "Dan's"  little  stature  and  remarking  how  safe  he  was 
now.  And  Mr.  McDaniel  said  that  at  that  moment  a  bullet 
struck  his  comrade  dead  in  his  tracks,  and  he  himself  was 
spared.  Mr.  McDaniel's  widow  drew  a  pension  from  the 
United  States  Government  as  long  as  she  lived. 

In  the  nature  of  the  case,  many  of  the  memorials 
of  missionary  work,  written  by  the  friends  of  the 
missionaries,  must  go  over  the  same  ground  and 
em.ploy  ahnost  the  same  language.     In  endeavor- 


276  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

ing  to  avoid  this  defect  we  have  grouped  together 
such  incidents  as  commend  themselves  to  our  no- 
tice, giving  here  and  there  only  a  complete  article 
from  the  pen  of  a  sympathizing  friend.  One  of 
these  articles  is  entitled:  "  Recollections  of  a  Plan- 
tation Missionary's  Daughter,"  by  Miss  Isabel  D. 
Martin,  of  Columbia,  S.  C: 

Memory  carries  me  back  to  the  time  when,  early  in  the 
morning,  through  heat  and  cold,  sunshine  and  rain,  I  used  to  see 
a  plantation  missionary  set  out  in  his  buggy  and  go  to  preach 
the  gospel  to  the  slaves  on  the  surrounding  plantations;  and  my 
joy  would  be  full  as  I  would  be  invited  to  take  my  seat  in  the 
buggy  and  go  with  the  missionary  on  his  rounds. 

Sometimes  we  would  cross  the  Congaree  with  its  tumbling 
shoals,  its  yellow  water,  and  its  never-ceasing  voice  as  it  goes 
murmuring  to  the  sea.  Again  our  way  would  take  us  through 
dense  pine  forests,  where  the  solemn  old  long-leaved  pines 
waved  their  stately  limbs,  or  we  would  drive  through  long  ave- 
nues of  oaks  draped  with  long,  drooping  gray  moss.  Then 
sometimes,  pleasantest  of  all,  we  would  drive  right  through 
Mill  Creek,  and  while  we  stopped  to  let  our  good  old  horse  get 
his  draught,  I  would  count  the  shining  pebbles  at  the  bottom  of 
the  wine-colored  stream,  or,  childlike,  clap  my  little  hands  at 
the  minnows  as  they  went  flitting  by. 

When  we  reached  the  plantation  gate,  the  cry  would  be  heard 
on  all  sides,  "Preacher's  comin'!  preacher's  comin'!"  and  from 
every  side  we  could  see  the  little  negroes  gathering.  At  least 
twenty  of  the  grinning,  ebony-faced  little  creatures  would  spring 
forward  to  open  the  gate  for  us  and  to  escort  the  preacher's 
buggy  up  to  the  "catechising  place."  Others  of  the  larger 
children  would  hurry  to  deposit  the  little  brothers  and  sisters 
they  were  nursing  with  the  old  "  maumas  "  at  the  hospital;  while 
others,  again,  impressed  with  a  sense  of  the  decorum  of  the  oc- 
casion, would  go  through  the  ceremony  of  hand  and  face  wash- 
ing ere  presenting  themselves  before  the  preacher. 

At  last  silence  and  perfect  order  reigned.  A  line  would  be 
drawn  under  the  shade  of  some  spreading  old  oak  and  the  cate- 


Notes  from  the  Pioneers.  277 

chising  begin.  The  class  was  rarelj  under  fifty  in  number, 
ranging  in  age  from  the  toddling  wee  thing  of  three  and  four 
to  boys  and  girls  of  fourteen  and  fifteen,  clad  generally  in  the 
most  airy  of  garments.  I  cannot  now  recall  one  instance  of  bad 
conduct,  nor  do  I  remember  once  having  seen  one  of  the  class 
deprived  of  the  handshake  from  the  preacher,  an  honor  most 
highly  prized  by  them  all,  and  never  denied  except  in  cases  of 
extreme  naughtiness. 

The  preacher  would  then  carry  them  through  Capers's  Cate- 
chism, the  Creed,  and  Commandments,  give  them  a  little— very 
little— talk,  then  sing  a  simple  hymn,  and  afterward,  with  bared 
head,  kneel  upon  the  ground,  and,  with  all  these  slave  children 
clustering  around  him,  together  they  would  repeat:  "Our 
Father  who  art  in  heaven." 

Since  that  time  I  have  seen  God  worshiped  in  many  ways.  I 
have  knelt  with  the  multitude  in  the  grandeur  of  a  great  cathe- 
dral, where  the  "dim  religious  light"  came  softly  stealing 
through  the  pictured  glass  and  the  rich-toned  organ  melted  the 
heart  to  thoughts  of  prayer.  I  have  listened  to  the  gospel  in 
the  midst  of  a  crowd  of  gray-uniformed  men,  whose  next  orders 
might  be  a  summons  to  death.  I  have  heard  the  words  of  truth 
proclaimed  on  the  top  of  a  lofty  mountain,  where  we  seemed 
"to  see  God  in  every  cloud,  and  hear  him  in  the  wind."  I  have 
mingled  with  the  throng  around  the  holy  altar  in  the  midst  of  a 
wide-spreading  forest,  where  every  breeze  that  swept  by  seemed 
to  say:  "The  groves  were  God's  first  temples!"  I  have  sat  in 
the  rustic  church  amid  the  humble  country  worshipers,  sun- 
burned with  toil  and  hardened  with  care,  when  I  have  said  to  my- 
self: "God  is  here  worshiped  in  spirit  and  in  truth."  Yet  now 
as  I  look  back,  it  seems  to  me  I  have  never  been  in  circum- 
stances so  pleasing  to  God  and  his  holy  angels,  or  seen  worship 
so  welcome  to  them  as  when  I  saw  that  man  of  God  teaching 
the  little  negro  slaves  to  say:  "Our  Father." 

The  catechism  lesson  being  over,  the  preacher  would  inquire 
for  the  sick.  If  any  were  very  sick  or  too  old  to  leave  their 
cabins,  he  would  be  taken  to  them  to  minister  of  spiritual  things; 
and  sometimes,  though,  little  child  as  I  was,  I  knew  it  not,  I  was 
very  near  the  gate  of  heaven.  Often  I  have  seen  the  mission- 
ary's face  radiant  with  the  light  of  the  throne  as  he  came  from 
these  ministrations  beside  the  bed  of  the  dying  Christian  slave. 


278  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

As  we  were  leaving  a  pleasing  scene  would  occur,  pleasing  to 
me  at  least,  for  then  the  old  "  maumas  "  would  come  from  their 
cabins  with  two  or  three  eggs  apiece,  or  the  children  w'xih.  old 
birds'  nests,  sassafras  roots,  blackberries,  and  other  simple  treas- 
ures, to  show  their  love  of  the  missionary  by  these  humble  of- 
ferings to  his  little  daughter.  These  scenes  would  recur  at  one 
plantation  and  another  vintil  the  whole  of  a  long  summer  morn- 
ing would  be  exhausted,  and  so  would  pass  the  week  away. 

When  Sunday  morning  would  come,  the  grown  negroes,  who 
were  at  work  in  the  fields  during  the  week  days,  would  assemble 
for  preaching  in  neat,  clean  garments.  Sometimes  this  would  be 
in  an  upper  room  over  the  ginhouse,  nicely  arranged  with  pulpit 
and  benches,  or  again  in  a  pleasant  litile  church  built  \>y  the 
liberal  and  pious  slave  owners.  Long  before  we  reached  the 
plantation  gates  we  could  hear  the  untutored  voices  of  the  as- 
sembled worshipers  in  songs  of  praise.  Then  would  follow  the 
simple  service  of  the  Methodist  ritual  and  a  sermon  gloriously 
beautiful  in  its  gospel  simplicity,  followed  by  the  repeating  of 
the  Commandments  and  Creed  by  the  whole  congregation,  occa- 
sionally by  the  administration  of  the  holy  communion,  and  very 
often  a  marriage  and  baptism. 

One  calm  spring  morning,  beautiful  and  clear,  the  missionary 
and  his  little  daughter,  after  leaving  the  preaching  place  and 
driving  a  few  miles,  stopped  at  the  residence  of  a  planter,  whose 
name  is  now  a  household  word,  a  part  of  our  glorious  chapter  in 
the  world's  history — Wade  Hampton. 

The  estate  was  called  "  Millwood,"  and  who  that  has  once 
partaken  of  its  princely  hospitality  can  ever  forget  it.^* 

After  dinner  we  found  the  daughters  and  two  little  grand- 
daughters of  the  planter  readj'  to  accompany  us  to  the  planta- 
tion. After  the  sermon  was  over  the  marriage  ceremony  of  two 
of  the  house  servants  was  performed,  and  then  the  solemn  voice 
of  the  minister  said,  "  Let  those  to  be  baptized  be  brought  for- 
ward," Avhen  a  throng  came  forth,  and  in  front  of  the  pulpit 
stood  in  a  semicircle,  the  parents  bringing  twenty-two  little 
black  babies  to  receive  the  holy  rite.  Each  of  these  babies  was 
dressed  in  a  pretty  white  dress,  and  the  sleeves  looped  up  with 
white  ribbons.  Both  ribbons  and  dresses  had  been  given  and 
the  dresses  made  by  the  hands  of  the  youngest  daughter  of  the 
planter.     The  noble  Christian  girl  has  long  since  gone  to  her  re- 


Notes  from  the  Pioneers.  279 

ward,  and  I  have  often  thought  of  the  jojful  meetings  there 
must  have  been  when,  in  the  high  courts  of  heaven,  she  met 
some  ransomed  soul  that  had  gone  to  glory  from  her  father's 
plantation. 

When  I  hear  the  imputation  cast — which  is,  alas !  too  often  the 
case — that  our  fathers  and  grandfathers  were  sinners  above  all 
others,  because  they  owned  and  cared  for  their  slaves,  which 
were  theirs  through  no  fault  of  their  own ;  when  again  I  hear  it 
asserted  that  on  the  Southern  plantation  nothing  was  heard  but 
the  sound  of  the  lash  and  the  groan  of  the  oppressed,  I  cannot 
but  think  on  some  of  these  things  which  1  have  herein  narrated, 
which  I  have  seen  with  my  own  eyes  and  know  to  be  true 
— things  to  which  others  can  bear  witness,  which  are  but  an  in- 
finitesimal part  of  that  grand  work  that  had  its  origin  and  its 
carrying  out  in  hearts  as  noble  and  as  humane  as  ever  received 
the  Deity's  impress.  And  when  I  think  how  one  Church  alone 
— for  others  there  were  engaged  in  this  work — the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  South,  gave  of  her  time,  her  talent,  her  treas- 
ure the  best  that  she  had,  to  teach  these  slaves  the  way  to  the 
one  great  and  universal  Father,  how  I  pray  God  to  hasten  the 
day  when  she  shall  receive  the  full  measure  of  her  due! 

How  I  wish  I  could  take  every  reader  of  this  article  to  a 
church  that  has  been  erected  to  take  the  place  of  one  burned 
down  by  the  soldiers  of  the  United  States  army  on  the  17th  of 
February,  1865;  for  near  by  I  could  show  them  a  monumental 
shaft,  plain  and  uncostly,  without  ornamental  design  or  sculp- 
tured device  of  any  description.  And  yet  that  shaft  is  a  more 
glorious  monument  than  Greek  or  Roman  fancy  ever  pictured, 
for  it  bears  this  simple  inscription : 

To  the  memory 

of 

William  Capers,  D.D., 

One  of  the  Bishops  of  the  M.  E.  Church, 

South, 
The  Founder  of  Missions  to  the  Slaves. 

We  have  given  a  large  space  to  the  movement  in 
the  South  Carolina  and  Georgia  Conferences,  not 
because  these  Conferences  stood  alone  in  the  prog- 


28o  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

ress  of  this  great  work,  but  because  the  record  of 
the  work  in  these  old  Conferences  was  fairly  typical 
of  the  labors  of  missionaries  in  other  states  of  the 
South.  The  peculiar  conditions  that  distinguished 
African  slavery  in  South  Carolina  did  not  exist  to 
the  same  extent  in  any  of  the  Southern  states. 
There  were  not  as  many  large  plantations  occupied 
by  slaves  alone,  or  by  the  owners  and  the  slaves, 
without  any  environments  of  social  order  in  white 
communities. 

But  there  were  a  few  extensive  plantations,  and 
the  number  was  gradually  increasing  in  Alabama, 
Mississippi,  and  Louisiana,  in  which  the  absence 
of  a  gospel  service  was  a  want  felt,  acknowledged, 
and  ultimately  supplied  by  the  generosity  of  the 
planters  on  the  one  hand  and  the  heroism  of  the 
missionaries  on  the  other. 

The  Rev.  Edwin  G.  Cook  contributes  a  brief 
account  of  the  work  in  Vicksburg,  Miss.  : 

I  here  give  mj  recollections  of  religious  services  among  the 
colored  people  in  our  community  (Vicksburg,  Miss.),  where  I 
lived  for  many  years  before  the  war: 

I  of  course  refer  to  such  work  as  was  under  the  auspices  of 
the  Southern  Methodist  Church.  About  1850  the  Methodists 
entered  into  the  new  church  Avhich  they  now  occupy.  The  old 
church  was  a  good  brick  building,  fronting  the  courthouse,  and 
could  have  been  sold  for  a  considerable  sum,  but  the  trustees 
decided  to  hold  it  for  the  use  of  the  slaves  of  the  city — that  is, 
for  the  preaching  and  other  services  by  ministers  who  might  be 
sent  to  the  Vicksburg  Colored  Mission. 

The  minutes  before  and  after  1850  will  show  the  Vicksburg 
Colored  Mission  to  have  been  supplied  by  the  presiding  elder. 
It  was  always  understood  that  this  supply  was  to  be  Edwin  G. 
Cook,  a  local  elder,  the  writer  of  these  recollections.     In  this 


Notes  from  the  Pioiiee7's.  281 

old  church  I  conducted  all  the  services  directed  in  the  Discipline, 
including  Sunday  schools,  bj  oral  instruction.  Many  of  the 
scholars,  however,  could  read  the  catechism  and  Bible.  I  had 
an  official  Board  of  Stewards ;  and,  slaves  though  they  were,  the 
finances  were  properly  managed  and  the  house  kept  clean  and 
in  repair. 

The  teaching  and  preaching  were  intended  to  be  scriptural 
in  doctrine,  legal  as  to  practical  life,  and  great  caution  was  en- 
joined as  to  profession  of  real  or  supposed  spiritual  attainments. 
The  slave  holders  generally  attended  these  meetings,  as  request- 
ed by  law,  to  give  authority  to  the  services  among  slaves  in  the 
absence  of  an  ordained  white  preacher.  The  colored  men  of 
this  charge,  and  from  elsewhere,  would  sometimes  preach  and 
often  exhort  and  pray  most  effectively.  One  colored  man  I  re- 
call was  a  natural  orator.  When  it  was  known  that  he  was 
going  to  preach,  a  great  number  of  white  hearers  would  congre- 
gate at  the  church.  His  name  was  Henry  Adams.  He  was  a 
large,  black,  rather  coarse-looking,  but  a  good  man,  sincerely  de- 
voted to  the  work  of  evangelizing  his  race,  and  his  work  was 
owned  and  blessed  of  God. 

One  item  that  I  here  recall  deserves  mention.  William 
C.  Smedes,one  of  the  most  popular  lawyers  of  that  time  in  Vicks- 
burg,  an  Episcopalian,  now  deceased,  pui'chased  more  than  fifty 
slaves  from  South  Carolina  and  placed  them  on  his  plantation 
below  Vicksburg.  Mr.  Smedes  stated  to  the  writer  that  these 
slaves  applied  to  him  for  a  Methodist  preacher  to  be  sent  to 
them,  as  many  were  of  that  Church,  and  all  had  been  accus- 
tomed to  hearing  preaching  from  Methodist  preachers  in  the 
state  whence  they  had  come.  Mr.  Smedes,  having  their  welfare 
sincerely  at  heart,  at  once  made  application  to  Conference  for  a 
minister  to  be  sent  to  these  blacks,  assuring  out  of  his  own 
pocket  the  amount  usual  in  compensation  for  such  services. 
Mr.  Smedes's  noble  example  was  not  the  only  case  among  the 
planters  in  the  vicinity  of  Vicksburg. 

At  a  dining  in  New  York,  when  the  neglect  of  religious  serv- 
ices to  the  slaves  was  charged  upon  the  people  of  the  South,  I 
stated  that  I  knew  one  slave  owner  who  had  a  plantation  of 
nearly  a  hundred  slaves  left  to  him  on  the  death  of  his  father, 
and  another  besides,  on  both  of  which  he  had  preaching  regu- 
larly by  an  itinerant  Methodist  preacher;  and  that  the  owner  of 


282  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

thcin  not  only  often  closed  the  services  to  his  slaves,  but  that  he 
himself  was  in  charge  of  a  colored  mission  in  that  city.  One  of 
the  guests,  Rev.  P.  P.  Sanford,  spoke  up  and  said  he  supposed 
this  item  was  given  from  report.  I  replied:  "It  is  given  from 
no  report,  but  from  actual  knowledge.  I  am  the  man  in  ques- 
tion." They  were  astonished,  and  seemed  reluctant  to  believe, 
if  in  truth  they  ever  did  believe. 

I  can  give  but  a  few  scattered  items  to  add  to  this  wonderful 
history  of  missions  to  the  slaves.  Chapter  after  chapter  could 
be  written,  each  more  wonderful  than  the  other.  It  is  a  record 
of  which  our  Church  ought  to  be  proud,  that  she  ought  never  to 
let  willingly  die;  too  much  of  it  novv  lies  in  obscurity.  Dr.  C. 
K.  Marshall,  J.  B.  Walker,  C.  F.  Evans,  of  New  Orleans,  and 
many  of  the  old  preachers  of  the  Mississippi  Conference  could 
add  much  to  this  information. 

I  have  not  lived  in  Vicksburg  since  the  war.  When  I  visit 
there,  I  often  meet  the  colored  members  of  the  Church  which  I 
served  for  neai-ly  ten  years.  It  is  a  great  pleasure  to  me,  and 
they  express  and  show  an  equal  pleasure.  My  old  body  servant, 
who  was  a  preacher  when  a  slave,  is  now  a  preacher  in  charge 
of  a  Church  of  the  A.  M.  E.  I  visited  him  lately,  and  we  parted 
with  prayer  and  the  Christian  hope: 

"  Till  we  meet  again." 


In  order  to  show  the  likeness  between  the  work- 
men engaged  in  these  missions  to  the  slaves  in  the 
widely  separated  communities  of  South  Carolina, 
Mississippi,  and  Louisiana,  we  copy  in  full  a  paper 
from  the  hand  of  Rev.  H.  J.  Harris,  of  Missis- 
sippi : 

Missions  to  the  Slaves  in  Mississippi. 

By  Rev.  H.  J.  Harris,  Hattiesburg,  Miss. 

There  were  no  more  extensive  missionary  opera- 
tions in  any  Conference  than  in  the  Mississippi. 
At  the  first  our  people  were  somewhat  skeptical  as 


Notes  from  the  Pioneers.  283 

to  whether  it  was  compatible  with  the  relation  of 
master  and  slave.  The  mistaken  idea  was  main- 
tained, among  the  irreligious  especially,  that  the 
gospel  to  the  negroes  was  but  another  name  for 
abolition  interference,  and  that  it  would  generate 
insurbordination  and  insurrection.  But  the  test 
made  upon  the  rice  plantations  in  South  Carolina, 
under  the  leadership  of  the  lamented  Capers  and 
his  colaborers,  demonstrated  the  power  of  the  gos- 
pel to  save  the  negro  in  our  own  land  as  well  as  in 
Africa;  and  when  such  men  as  Wade  Hampton 
and  the  Pinckneys  indorsed  it,  the  cotton  planters 
of  Mississippi  soon  fell  into  line  and  became  the 
most  enthusiastic  patrons  of  the  enterprise. 

The  Methodist  Church  was  in  every  place  the 
pioneer  in  the  missionary  work  among  the  negroes, 
and  has  done  more  for  their  evangelization  than 
any  other  branch  of  the  Church  in  America,  and 
especially  in  the  South.  As  far  back  as  1839, 
when  I  was  admitted  on  trial  in  the  Mississippi 
Conference,  and  anterior  to  that  date,  many  of  our 
people  who  were  slave  holders  recognized  the  ob- 
ligation to  give  their  slaves  the  benefit  of  religious 
instruction,  but  it  was  imparted  under  certain  limi- 
tations and  restrictions.  When  the  circuit  preacher 
came  on  his  regular  rounds  and  had  "family 
prayer"  with  the  whites,  the  negroes  were  sum- 
moned to  take  part  in  the  worship,  and  the  word 
of  exhortation  was  also  given  them.  Gradually 
the  sentiment  grew  until  arrangements  were  made 

for  special  services  to  be  had  at  the  "quarters" 
19 


284  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

for  the  benefit  of  the  negroes.  Master,  mistress, 
and  their  family  regularly  attended  and  took  part 
in  these  services. 

As  the  work  progressed — and  it  was  found  that 
the  gospel,  where  rightly  administered,  made  better 
servants  as  well  as  masters — the  demand  became 
general  for  the  services  of  the  circuit  preacher. 
About  1846,  under  the  leadership  of  some  of  our 
largest  slave  holders,  the  work  of  regular  planta- 
tion missions  was  inaugurated. 

Chief  among  those  who  first  favored  this  move- 
ment was  that  great  and  good  man.  Judge  Edward 
McGehee,  of  Wilkinson  County,  Miss.  To  his 
worthy  name  all  praise  is  due  as  the  patron  of 
everything  that  was  good.  Under  his  roof  Francis 
Asbury  had  lodged,  and  many  other  ministers  of 
God  found  a  hospitable  home.  He  owned  perhaps 
a  thousand  slaves,  and  had  ten  large  cotton  planta- 
tions, with  an  average  of  one  hundred  slaves  on  each. 
He  made  it  a  point  that  they  should  be  comfortably 
clothed  and  fed,  have  comfortable  quarters,  and 
receive  ever  the  kindest  attention.  Added  to  this, 
he  provided  amply  for  their  religious  instruction: 
had  missionaries  sent  specially  to  his  plantations, 
with  carte  blanche.,  to  preach,  teach,  catechise,  and 
in  every  way  instruct  the  negroes  in  the  way  to 
heaven. 

About  the  same  time  that  prince  of  merchants  in 
the  palmy  days  of  New  Orleans,  and  prominent 
Methodist,  H.  R.  W.  Hill,  who  had  settled  several 
large  plantations  in  the  delta  region  of  Mississippi, 


Notes  from  the  Pioneers.  285 

became  enlisted  in  this  good  work,  and  the  min- 
utes of  the  Conference  show  for  years,  up  to  the 
time  of  the  civil  war,  that  he  and  others  of  our 
large  slave  holders  in  that  region  were  careful  to 
provide  missionaries  to  their  negroes.  Wade 
Hampton,  of  South  Carohna,  became  a  large  cot- 
ton planter  in  that  region,  and  brought  with  him 
the  ideas  obtained  from  the  noble  work  in  his  own 
state,  and  at  once  apphed  to  the  Conference  for  a 
missionary  for  his  plantations.  Prominent  in  the 
hst  of  appointments  for  that  period  appear 
"Hampton's  Plantations,"  "Hill's  Plantations," 
"Deer  Creek  Mission,"  "Sunflower  Mission," 
"Clover  Hill,"  and  scores  of  others  where  the 
congregations  were  m.ade  exclusively  of  plantation 
slaves.  Nor  would  these  planters  have  illiterate  or 
inexperienced  men,  but  always  demanded  experi- 
enced and  competent  men,  such  as  they  would 
have  preach  to  their  own  famihes. 

This  writer  had  the  honor  of  being  among  the 
first  of  those  appointed  from  our  Conference  to 
this  special  work.  My  field  was  a  new  and  deli- 
cate one  to  fill.  It  lay  along  the  Bayou  Pierre,  a 
tributary  of  the  Mississippi,  running  through  Clai- 
borne County  from  east  to  west,  and  entering  the 
great  river  just  below  Grand  Gulf.  From  its 
source  to  its  terminus  the  stream  was  hned  by  a 
m.ost  fertile  valley  on  either  side,  and  was  one  con- 
tinuous cotton  plantation.  There  were  thousands 
of  slaves  working  these  plantations.  Their  owners 
were,  to  some  extent,  connected  with  the  various 


286  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

religious  denominations.  The  majority,  however, 
were  not  of  any  Church  at  alL 

It  was  my  privilege  to  serve  this  mission  as  the 
first  missionary  to  the  negroes  in  that  quarter,  and 
I  recur  to  it  as  the  most  complimentary  appoint- 
ment that  had  been  given  me  up  to  that  time.  It 
had  been  given  me  in  response  to  a  letter  numer- 
ously signed,  addressed  to  my  presiding  elder. 
Rev.  B.  M.  Drake,  the  loved  and  lamented,  ask- 
ing for  an  able  and  prudent  man. 

I  had  full  liberty  to  arrange  my  own  plans  as  to 
the  preaching  and  catechising.  These  I  endeav- 
ored to  map  out  according  to  my  best  judgment. 
We  were  permitted  to  occupy  neighborhood 
churches,  where  the  slaves  from  several  planta- 
tions came  together  on  the  Sabbath,  while  during 
the  week  we  served  them  on  the  plantations. 
Among  others  we  occupied  an  Episcopal  church, 
which  demonstrated  the  general  interest  taken  in 
the  work. 

In  visiting  pastorally  the  sick  in  the  cabins,  I 
witnessed  scenes  that  would  gladden  the  heart  of 
an  angel.  Not  unfrequently  when  I  reached  a 
plantation  among  the  first  matters  claiming  my  at- 
tention was  that  some  poor  slave  who  was  sick  de- 
sired to  see  the  missionary.  Then,  accompanied 
by  some  member  of  the  master's  household,  bear- 
ing delicacies  from  master's  table — luxuries  suited 
to  the  palate  of  a  king  rather  than  a  slave — we 
would  repair  to  the  sick  room  of  the  aged 
"  mauma,"  at  the    "quarters,"    or  maybe    some 


Notes  from  the  Pioneers.  287 

poor  fainting  sick  one  of  younger  years.  There 
we  would  kneel  and  pray  together  and  sing  sweet 
songs.  Often  have  I  seen  and  heard  a  young  mis- 
tress read  the  precious  word  of  God,  then  kneel 
and  pray  at  the  sick  bed  of  the  aged  servant  who 
had  nursed  her  when  an  infant,  and  with  her  own 
delicate  hand  wipe  the  cold  sweat  from  the  dying 
brow. 

I  have  witnessed,  too,  many  a  season  of  refresh- 
ing in  which  master,  mistress,  and  slave  alike  par- 
ticipated, and  seen  them  all  rejoice  together.  If 
permitted  to  gain  heaven  through  grace,  I  expect 
to  meet  many  a  poor  slave  to  whom  I  preached  the 
blessed  gospel,  which  is  the  "  power  of  God  unto 
salvation  "  to  all  them  that  believe. 


The  following  paper  relates  to  a  period  subse- 
quent to  the  division  of  the  Church  in  1844,  but  it 
exhibits  the  same  spirit  that  actuated  the  pioneers 
of  1829: 

Labors  in  the  Slave  Mission  Fields  of  Mis- 
sissippi FROM  1858  TO  1861. 

By  Rev.  J.  F.  W.  Toland,  Jonesboro,  Tex. 

I  was  admitted  on  trial  into  the  Alabama  Con- 
ference of  1858,  and  was  appointed  to  the  mission 
to  the  blacks  in  Lowndes  County,  Miss.,  for  my 
first  year.  Having  thus  before  me  a  large  terri- 
tory in  which  to  work,  I  was  compelled  to  preach 
three  times  on  two  Sabbaths  of  the  month,  never 
less  than  two,  and  sometimes  four.     On  one  oc- 


288  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

casion,  owing  to  a  sick  family,  I  traveled  thirty 
miles  and  preached  three  times  in  one  day. 

The  instructions  of  the  Conference  to  the  mis- 
sionary to  the  colored  people  was  to  catechise  the 
children  at  every  appointment,  as  well  as  to  preach 
to  the  adults.  These  instructions  were  always 
faithfully  carried  out. 

Many  of  the  negroes  on  these  plantations  were 
of  Baptist  persuasion  themselves,  but  their  owners 
were  either  Methodists  or  of  no  Church  affihation. 
But  there  was  no  sectarian  feeling  shown  in  hav- 
ing the  gospel  preached  to  their  slaves.  Many 
who  belonged  to  no  Church  themselves  were  fore- 
most in  their  efforts  to  help  the  missionary  in  his 
work.  Prominent  among  these  families  was  that 
of  the  Hairstons.  Frequently  I  preached  in  the 
elder  Hairston's  dwelling  house.  All  the  mem- 
bers of  the  family  and  many  of  the  neighbors 
would  assemble  in  one  room,  while  the  servants 
filled  the  hall,  the  adjacent  room  and  the  gallery. 
In  summer  my  pulpit  was  arranged  in  the  porch 
of  the  house,  the  servants  all  being  seated  in  the 
yard  and  the  whites  in  the  rooms  and  hall. 

Other  planters  (Gen.  Cocke,  of  Virginia,  and 
Col.  Billups,  of  Columbus,  Miss.,  among  them), 
having  large  negro  quarters,  built  a  church  con- 
venient for  the  servants  of  the  three  plantations. 
The  attendance  of  each  one  able  to  do  so  was  re- 
quired at  this  church  for  each  service,  though  be 
it  said,  greatly  to  the  credit  of  the  negroes,  this 
compulsion  was    hardly  ever    necessary.       They 


Notes  from  the  Pioneers.  289 

came  gladly  and  in  the  most  teachable  spirit.  At 
the  church  the  missionary  held  his  protracted 
meetings,  sometimes  to  the  whites  and  colored 
together.  One  incident  connected  with  an  occa- 
sion of  this  kind  I  must  mention.  Brother  George 
Shaeffer,  a  name  closely  connected  with  the  mis- 
sion work  to  the  negroes  of  this  section,  would 
often  come  to  help  in  these  meetings.  Though 
the  services  might  be  to  the  whites,  still  a  space 
was  always  reserved  for  the  negroes,  and  they 
were  included  in  the  invitations.  Old  Brother 
Shaeffer  was  a  great  favorite  with  Col.  Billups, 
and  he  regularly  had  him  once  a  year  to  conduct 
these  meetings.  It  was  a  sight  to  see  him  get  hap- 
py and  go  around  shaking  hands  with  white  and 
black  alike.  O  he  was  a  grand  old  man,  and  the 
fruit  he  planted  abides  to  this  day.  The  negroes 
came  to  the  altar  on  the  same  invitation  as  that  to 
the  whites,  and  the  preachers  were  just  as  earnest 
praying  for  and  talking  with  them.  And  when 
communicants  were  invited  to  commemorate  the 
death  and  sufferings  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour,  the 
old  Colonel  and  his  good  wife  would  go  up  and 
kneel  round  the  same  table  with  as  many  of  their 
servants  as  could  be  served.  It  was  a  picture  to 
be  remembered. 

The  missionary  found  quite  a  difference  between 
the  intelligence  and  religious  status  of  the  negroes 
on  the  various  plantations.  I  found  these  condi- 
tions, in  the  greater  part,  dependent  upon  the  as- 
sociations they  had  had  with  the  whites,  as  well  as 


290  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

the  class  of  whites  with  whom  they  mingled.  If 
these  associations  were  of  the  best,  then  they  had 
left  their  imprint  on  the  negro  for  the  best  in  every 
way:    manners,  speech,  morals,  and  everything. 

On  many  of  the  plantations  colored  preachers 
of  credit  were  found.  Some  of  these  were  really 
talented  as  speakers.  They  gave  valuable  assist- 
ance to  the  missionary  when  holding  protracted 
meetings.  On  one  occasion  Billy,  an  intelligent 
mulatto,  a  fine  speaker — indeed,  a  natural  orator — 
came  to  me  during  the  exercises  with  the  mourn- 
ers and  asked  me  to  find  for  him  the  hymn  which 
contained  the  couplet 

Turn,  sinners,  turn,  why,  why  will  you  die? 
Why  grieve  your  God  and  die? 

I  found  it  for  him,  he  could  read,  and  he  rose  to 
tell  his  experience.  He  said  that  while  he  was  a 
thoughtless  sinner  the  words,  "Why  grieve  your 
God  and  die?"  had  arrested  his  attention.  He 
went  on,  with  deep  feeling  and  pathos,  to  relate 
his  struggles  and  final  conquest.  It  melted  the 
hearts  of  all  present. 

Old  Uncle  Emanuel  was  another  of  these  preach- 
ers. He  was  a  man  of  sound  piety  and  of  good 
practical  sense.  Emanuel  was  a  Baptist,  as  were 
all  the  negroes  on  Sister  Winston's  farm;  but  he 
loved  the  Methodists,  and  he  always  concluded 
his  exhortations  to  his  people  by  urging  them  to 
pay  attention  to  and  profit  by  the  teachings  of  the 
missionary.  When  negroes  on  the  farms  of  Bap- 
tist owners  were  converted,  they  usually  received 


Notes  from  the  Pioneers.  291 

baptism  at  the  hands  of  the  Methodist  missionary, 
and  were  left  to  pursue  their  own  inclination  as 
regarded  Church  membership.  If  they  preferred 
the  Baptist  Church,  they  were  considered  as  Bap- 
tists, though  included  in  the  mission.  I  am  satis- 
fied that  there  were  as  many  Baptists  as  Metho- 
dists in  my  charge. 

At  the  next  Annual  Conference  I  was  returned 
to  the  same  work.  My  return  was  asked  for  by 
the  planters,  for  they  said  that  I  seemed  to  under- 
stand the  negro's  nature;  besides,  the  mission  was 
doing  a  great  good  among  their  people. 

I  must  here  note  one  peculiarity  of  the  negro 
that  I  was  not  long  in  discovering.  The  first  year, 
when  they  saw  the  preacher  coming,  they  would 
say,  "Yonder  comes  the  preacher;"  the  second 
year,  "  o«r  preacher;"  and  the  third,  "  ?;2j  preach- 
er." The  longer  the  missionary  remained  the 
nearer  he  got  to  the  heart  of  the  negro.  The 
planters  seemed  to  reahze  this,  and  often  asked 
for  the  same  man  back  again. 

At  the  next  Conference  the  whole  territory  ly- 
incT  between  the  Mobile  and  Ohio  railroad  and  the 
Tombigbee  River  on  the  west  and  east,  Columbus 
on  the  north,  and  the  line  between  Noxubee  and 
Lowndes  Counties  on  the  south  was  thrown  into 
one  mission  field  to  the  blacks.  Brother  George 
Shjeffer,  who  had  long  been  in  charge  of  the  col- 
ored mission  church  in  Columbus,  was  appointed 
superintendent,  and  Brother  James  Hood  and  my- 
self as  the  regular  missionaries.     Brother  Shaffer 


292  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

was  required  to  visit  these  missions  as  often  as  he 
thought  it  necessary.  While  on  these  visits,  if  on 
my  part  of  the  mission,  I  must  fill  his  pulpit  in  the 
city;  if  on  Brother  Hood's  part,  then  he  had,  in 
turn,  to  take  Brother  Shseffer's  place  in  the  city. 

During  this  year  we  had  times  of  great  power 
among  the  blacks.  The  wave  of  revival  spread 
from  the  country  to  the  city,  and  from  the  city 
back  to  the  country  again.  I  must  here  say  a  few 
words  in  rejjard  to  this  colored  Church  in  Colum- 
bus.  Miss.  It  was  a  Church  of  very  large  mem- 
bership, made  so  by  the  indefatigable  labors  of 
Brother  Shajffer,  who  had  served  it  for  a  number 
of  years.  There  were  several  prominent  negro 
preachers  in  the  Church,  possessing  exceptional 
talent,  especially  in  exhortation  and  song.  O  if  I 
could  once  again  hear  such  singing  as  I  used  to 
hear  from  those  negroes !  Thirty  years  and  more 
have  passed  since  then,  but  I  have  never  heard 
any  to  equal  it  from  that  time  to  the  present. 

My  fourth  appointment  was  to  a  circuit,  and  my 
fifth  also  to  a  circuit,  the  latter  the  Pickens  Cir- 
cuit, in  Pickens  County,  Ala.  On  this  work  there 
were  three  churches  in  a  rich  portion  of  the  coun- 
ty, each  attended  by  a  large  concourse  of  negroes. 
O  the  times  that  Dr.  Perry,  of  Vienna,  and  my- 
self used  to  have  among  those  negroes  !  The  rec- 
ollections come  back  to-day  with  a  force  and  pow- 
er that  send  my  heart  into  a  glow. 

The  negroes  would  begin  assembling  in  the 
morning,  and  by  the  time  services  for  the  whites, 


Notes  from  the  Pioneers.  293 

at  II  o'clock,  were  ended,  the  yard  would  be  filled 
with  the  negroes.  The  service  to  the  whites  con- 
cluded, they  would  soon  crowd  in  until  the  house 
was  packed.  Sometimes  the  throng  was  so  great 
that  many  of  them  could  find  no  space  in  the 
house.  They  began  singing,  and  by  the  time 
Brother  Perry  and  I  had  finished  our  refresh- 
ments the  waves  of  their  melody  would  be  sound- 
ing out  like  the  beat  of  the  surf  upon  the  shore. 
Even  after  the  services  were  over  and  we  had  dis- 
missed them,  they  would  linger  about  the  groves 
until  nightfall,  singing  and  praying  and  shouting. 

Dr.  Perry  has  passed  to  his  reward.  He  died 
in  Gatesville,  Tex.,  but  the  seed  of  his  sowing  is 
bearing  its  precious  fruit  to  this  day.  So  many  of 
the  old  missionaries  have  passed  away  that  but  few 
remain  to  tell  the  story,  as  thrilling  as  any  there 
is  in  Methodism.  O  that  it  had  been  written 
years  ago !  There  must,  of  necessit}^,  be  much 
lost,  many,  too  many  threads  missing  from  the 
strand.  But  the  Master  has  gathered  all  the 
broken  ends  to  himself,  and  in  that  last  day  he, 
and  he  alone,  will  show  them  complete. 


In  concluding  this  chapter  we  avail  ourselves  of 
the  following  "  Items  of  Slave  Mission  Work  in 
Mississippi,"  by  Bishop  C.  B.  Galloway.  A  wor- 
thy son  of  a  noble  state,  he  enables  us  to  give  a 
record  of  the  principles  which  governed  the  slave 
holders  of  Mississippi  more  than  sixty  3'ears  ago. 


294  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

"  It  is  a  significant  fact,"  says  the  bishop,  "that 
Mississippi  retired  to  private  life  her  ablest  and 
most  distinguished  statesman  because  of  his  sup- 
posed opposition  to  the  religious  instruction  of  the 
negroes.  The  early  history  of  the  state  contains 
no  name  equal  in  broad  statesmanship  and  legal 
learning  to  George  Poindexter.  As  largely  the 
author  of  her  first  Constitution,  the  codifier  of  her 
laws.  Governor  of  the  State,  and  United  States 
Senator,  he  was  peerless  at  home  and  the  peer  of 
Clay,  Calhoun,  and  Webster  in  the  upper  house 
of  Congress.  But  in  1822  he  was  defeated  for 
Congress  because  of  a  provision  he  had  inserted 
in  the  Code  of  1820-21  supposed  to  be  unfavora- 
ble to  the  religious  training  of  slaves.  Of  this  de- 
feat Claiborne,  in  his  '  History  of  Mississippi,'  thus 
writes : 

These  provisions  were  intended  as  matters  of  police  and  as 
safeguards  against  insurrection,  but  a  majority  of  our  citizens 
regarded  them  as  substantial!}'  excluding  the  colored  people 
from  religious  privileges,  and  thej  expressed  their  disapproba- 
tion by  casting  their  votes  against  their  favorite  and  ablest 
statesman.  He  who  had  heretofore  carried  every  election  by 
large  majorities,  and  had  trampled  down  innumerable  slanders 
was  defeated  by  a  sentiment  of  religious  duty  and  comfassion  for 
the  blacks.  .  .  .  With  no  extraneous  influences  acting  upon 
them,  the  citizens  of  Mississippi,  feeling  that  all  mankind  are 
equal  in  the  sight  of  God,  and  that  all  are  equalh'  entitled  to 
hear  his  word,  indignantly  rejected  the  law  proposed  by  Mr. 
Poindexter,  and  consigned  him  to  private  life.  .  .  .  The 
obnoxious  provisions  proposed  by  Mr.  Poindexter  had  been  re- 
jected by  the  Legislature  in  1822.  The  colored  fpoflc  had  the 
same  religious  privileges  as  the  ivhites.  They  had  their  colored 
ministers.  They  often  knelt  in  prayer  in  the  family  circle,  in 
the  parlors  of  their  masters.     And  the  very  system  of  plantation 


Notes  from  the  Pioneers.  295 

freaching  which  it  was  charged  Mr.  Poindexter  desired  to  pre- 
vent was  in  full  operation. 

*'  I  know  of  no  more  significant  event  in  the 
whole  history  of  the  South  which  more  clearly  in- 
dicates the  true  spirit  of  the  people  toward  the 
moral  and  spiritual  well-being  of  the  negro.  A 
great  statesman,  almost  omnipotent  in  political  in- 
fluence, was  hurled  from  place  and  power  because 
he  was  regarded  as  unsound  on  that  great  issue: 
'plantation  preaching.' 

*'As  illustration  of  the  system  adopted  by  all  the 
Churches  to  reach  the  great  mass  of  the  negroes 
on  the  plantations,  I  reproduce  a  letter  written  by 
Rev.  B.  W.  Williams,  a  Presbyterian  minister  and 
addressed  to  Gen.  John  A.  Quitman,  one  of  the 
most  distinguished  citizens  of  Mississippi. 

Pine  Ridge,  Miss.,  September  4,  1S31. 
To  Gen.  John  A.  Quitman. 

Honored  and  Dear  Sir :  I  doubt  not  j'ou  will  excuse  me  for 
trespassing  upon  your  attention  for  a  few  moments,  especially 
when  you  learn  the  occasion.  The  Church  of  Pine  Ridge, 
within  whose  bounds  you  have  a  plantation,  is  now  making  an 
effort  to  give  the  gospel  to  every  rational  being  under  its  care, 
the  young  as  well  as  the  old^  the  bond  as  well  as  the_/)'^<?.  In 
order  to  do  this  effectually,  it  is  necessary  to  adopt  the  system 
oi  plantation  freaching^  which  is  now  acknowledged  to  possess 
more  advantages  than  any  other.  It  requires,  however,  a 
greater  number  of  preachers  than  where  all  can  be  assembled 
in  one  place.  One  minister  can  take  charge  of  about  nine  plan- 
tations, giving  them  instruction,  freaching  and  catecliising  every 
second  or  third  Sabbath;  preaching  during  the  week  when  de- 
sired, celebrating  marriages,  visiting  the  sick,  and  burying  the 
dead.  There  are  already  two  such  assistants  employed  in  my 
parish,  and  thus  far  the  plan  has  succeeded  admirably. 

Nearly  all  the  planters  here  feel  their  responsibility  for  their 


296  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

servants  so  deeply  that  they  have  united  to  provide  reg- it  la  r  a.nd 
frequent  religious  instruction  for  them  by  good  and  competent 
teachers.  In  this  way  the  servants  are  made  accountable  for 
themselves,  and  the  master  is  relieved  from  his  most  solemn 
responsibility  in  this  respect. 

Nearly  every  plantation  has  adopted  the  plan,  and  by  unit- 
ing, the  expense  is  very  trifling,  about  one  dollar  per  head,  for 
all  over  four  years  of  age.  The  services  of  an  educated  man 
(and  none  others  are  so  well  suited  to  the  work)  cannot  be  ob- 
tained for  a  salary  less  than  $500  or  $600. 

Some  of  the  smaller  plantations,  in  order  to  have  as  frequent 
services  as  the  others,  give  rather  more  than  a  dollar  apiece. 

As  a  Church  we  are  laboring  and  pi-aying  for  the  conver- 
sion of  the  whole  world,  and  we  deem  it  but  reasonable  that  the 
good  work  should  commence  at  home.  And  masters,  when 
they  remember  their  accountability,  and  that  they  are  to  meet 
their  servants  at  the  judgment  bar  of  God,  readily  concur  with 
us.  They  acknowledge  their  obligation  to  provide  for  the  spir- 
itual as  well  as  the  temporal  wants  of  those  whom  God  has  in- 
trusted to  their  care. 

I  would  further  add  that  the  teachers  employed  will  be  un- 
der the  constant  supervision  of  the  session  of  the  Church,  some 
of  whom  are  themselves  planters  in  this  neighborhood. 

Hoping  to  hear  from  you  as  soon  as  convenient,  and  to  learn 
your  views  and  feelings  as  regards  the  svibject  in  general,  and 
also  in  reference  to  3'our  own  place  in  particular,  I  remain 

Yours  most  respectfully  and  truly,  B.  W.  Williams. 

"That  letter  is  interesting  as  detailing:  i.  The 
plan  for  plantation  preaching.  2.  The  early  day 
when  such  systematic  work  was  in  full  operation. 
3.  The  candor  and  honesty  with  which  ministers 
talked  to  masters  as  to  their  spiritual  obligations 
to  their  servants.  Of  course  Methodism,  with  its 
itinci'ant  system,  could  most  efficiently  work  the 
plan  of  plantation  preaching,  and  soon  had  the 
largest  negro  membership  of  any  Church  in  the 
South." 


CHAPTER  XV. 

Plantation  Missions  from  1844  to  1864. 

THE  division  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
in  1844  emphasized  the  work  of  sending  the 
gospel  to  the  slaves  in  the  South.  At  various  pe- 
riods the  deliverances  of  the  Church  had  been  so 
threatening  in  their  character,  and  imprudent  men 
had  so  often  placed  the  very  existence  of  Metho- 
dism in  jeopardy,  that  the  doctrine  of  noninter- 
ference with  civil  institutions  by  officers  of  the 
Church,  in  their  ecclesiastical  capacity,  removed 
every  obstacle  in  the  way  of  the  Southern  Metho- 
dist Church.  There  was  no  longer  any  danger 
that  the  professed  missionary  would  become  an 
incendiary,  and  therefore  a  man  indorsed  by  a 
Southern  Conference  was  considered  by  the  own- 
ers of  slaves  as  trustworthy  by  virtue  of  that  in- 
dorsement alone. 

The  deposition  of  Bishop  Andrew,  because  he 
could  not  emancipate  a  slave  belonging  to  his  wife, 
was  the  occasion  of  the  division  of  the  Church. 
No  sooner  was  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
South,  organized  than  the  "Macedonian  cry" 
was  heard  in  every  portion  of  the  Southern  terri- 
tory, where  large  numbers  of  slaves  existed.  In- 
creased contributions  came  to  the  treasury,  and 
large  numbers  of  the  ministry  were  soon  engaged 

(207) 


298  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

in  this  labor  of  love.  Within  the  twenty  years 
comprised  between  the  years  1845  and  1864  more 
than  $1,800,000  was  expended,  and  at  the  close 
of  the  civil  war  there  were  over  300  missionaries 
employed  in  preaching  the  gospel  to  the  slaves  on 
the  large  plantations  in  the  South.  As  thoroughly 
organized  as  any  other  portion  of  our  Church 
work,  the  missions  were  filled  by  men  compe- 
tent to  teach,  men  adapted  by  nature  and  by 
grace,  as  well  as  by  education,  to  teach  and 
guide  the  souls  committed  to  their  care.  Born 
in  the  South,  thoroughly  versed  in  the  negro 
character,  understanding  their  faults  as  perfectly 
as  they  recognized  their  virtues,  these  men  of  God 
were  welcomed  everywhere  by  the  masters  and  by 
the  slaves.  If  any  exception  occurred,  it  was  too 
insignificant  to  warrant  a  record  in  these  pages. 
So  far  from  entertaining  any  feeling  hostile  to  the 
advancement  of  the  slave,  common  sense  taught 
the  slave  holder  that  by  as  much  as  his  negroes 
were  true  Christians  by  so  much  were  they  better 
servants.  If  anywhere  in  the  South  a  model  of 
Mrs.  Stowe's  slave  holder  could  be  found,  he  was 
no  more  a  typical  specimen  of  Southern  character 
than  Prof.  Webster  was  a  type  of  Boston  civiliza- 
tion. Webster  murdered  his  creditor.  Dr.  Park- 
man,  and  burned  his  body  in  the  stove  which 
heated  the  professor's  room,  but  all  Boston  sci- 
entists cannot  be  judged  by  the  standard  of  this 
bloody  fiend.  In  like  manner,  in  every  age,  cruel, 
ungodly  men   have  dishonored  every  calling  and 


Plantation  Missions  from  1844  to  1864.     299 

every  community,  and  the  existence  of  some  of 
these  fiends  among  Southern  slave  holders  was 
undeniable.  But  the  people  of  the  South  detested 
them,  and  public  opinion  was  as  outspoken  against 
them  in  the  Southern  as  in  the  Northern  states. 

The  extraordinary  conduct  of  the  slaves  during 
the  civil  war  is  an  inexplicable  feature  in  the  his- 
tory of  that  great  struggle.  Inexplicable,  we  mean, 
if  this  evangeHzing  work  of  the  missionaries  is  not 
taken  into  the  problem.  Many  writers  have  be- 
lieved that  Mr.  Wesley's  followers  prevented  the 
uprising  of  the  masses  of  the  English  poor  at  the 
time  of  the  French  Revolution.  Religion  is  the 
strongest  tie  that  unites  man  to  man  in  the  social 
constitution.  The  diffusion  of  religion  "  pure  and 
undefiled"  is  the  best  safeguard,  and  the  most  po- 
tent ao-ency  for  the  preservation  of  civil  society. 
Its  operation  is  uniform.  Cultured  and  uncultured 
people  are  alike  affected  by  its  precepts.  Whether 
the  population  be  as  humble  as  the  hundreds  dom- 
iciled upon  a  rice  plantation,  or  as  greatly  blessed 
with  this  world's  bounties  as  the  richest  and  most 
favored  society,  precisely  to  the  extent  that  religion 
has  a  place  in  the  hearts  of  the  people  to  that  ex- 
tent will  harmony,  love,  and  peace  prevail. 

No  grander  tribute  can  be  paid  to  the  power  of 
the  gospel  on  the  one  hand,  and  the  sincerity  of 
the  poor  Africans  who  professed  it  on  the  other 
than  that  which  is  furnished  by  the  state  of  the 
negro  population  of  the  South  in  the  four  years 
expiring  in  1865.  Masters  in  the  army,  even  to 
20 


300  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

the  age  of  threescore  in  many  instances,  and  com- 
ing down  to  the  lad  in  the  midst  of  his  teens  in 
thousands  of  cases ;  women  left  alone  upon  exten- 
sive farms,  where  an  able-bodied  man  could  scarce- 
ly be  found  in  a  day's  ride ;  negroes  taking  charge 
of  every  interest  of  their  owners,  planting,  har- 
vesting, selling  the  crop,  and  laying  in  the  planta- 
tion supplies,  tenderly  guarding  every  species  of 
property  in  danger  of  waste  or  loss ;  careful  and 
faithful  stewards  of  absent  owners;  these  people 
wept  for  the  slain  of  the  household  and  rejoiced 
with  the  fullness  of  joy  when  victory  perched  upon 
the  banners  of  their  owners,  and  they  kept  them- 
selves true  to  their  trust  until  the  last  day  of  their 
bondage.  So  few  were  the  heinous  offenses  against 
person  or  property,  that  the  writer  does  not  remem- 
ber half  a  dozen  instances  of  assault  committed  by 
a  negro  upon  the  person  of  a  white  woman  in  all  of 
those  terrible  years.  That  crime  was  almost  un- 
known. A  symptom  of  decaying  civilization,  it 
was  held  in  such  horror  that  it  was  scarcely  con- 
ceivable as  a  possibility  to  either  race. 

Alas !  the  fearful  outbreakings  of  lawlessness  in 
these  latter  days  are  eloquent  proofs  of  the  degen- 
eracy of  the  people,  and  fearful  tokens  of  dangers 
to  come.  But  the  religious  spirit  of  the  Southern 
slaves  was  not  occasional  nor  transitory  during  the 
war  period.  Principles,  deep-seated  and  true, 
held  the  dark  sons  of  Africa  to  the  gospel  of 
Christ.  The  Bible  was  their  refuge  and  their 
tower  of  strength,  and  we  shall  have  occasion  to 


Plantation  Missions  from  iS^^  to  1S64.     301 

see  the  types  of  character  developed  by  the  in- 
struction received  from  the  ministry  of  the  mis- 
sionaries. 

If  it  were  necessary  to  enter  into  the  details  of 
the  work  on  the  plantations,  we  have  abundant 
material.  But  we  have  already  described  the 
scenes  occurring  in  this  mission  field,  and  by  the 
workmen  themselves  the  reader  has  been  thor- 
oughly informed  of  all  of  its  peculiarities.  It  is 
only  necessary  to  state  that  subsequent  to  1844  the 
plantation  mission  attracted  increased  and  increas- 
ing attention.  In  1S49  there  were  fifteen  Confer- 
ences in  whose  territory  this  class  of  missions  was 
established,  and  107  distinct  appointments  were 
recognized,  with  122  regularly  appointed  mission- 
aries. In  some  Conferences,  as  in  South  Caro- 
lina, Georgia,  and  Mississippi,  there  were  super- 
intendents whose  special  work  was  the  right  or- 
dering of  this  important  enterprise. 

South  Carolina  kept  in  the  lead,  although  Mis- 
sissippi followed  very  closely.  In  the  latter  Con- 
ference there  was  a  slave  mission  district,  com- 
prising thirty-five  or  forty  plantations,  sensed  by 
eight  or  nine  missionaries,  with  a  presiding  elder 
at  their  head.  Lake  Washington  District  was  cre- 
ated solely  for  the  purpose  of  giving  the  greatest 
efficiency  possible  to  this  work.  It  would  be  in- 
vidious, perhaps,  to  mention  the  names  of  these 
missionaries,  unless  we  could  give  place  to  them 
all,  and  to  do  this  would  require  space  equal  to 
the  record  of  a  great  part  of  the  Conference. 


302  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

The  table  which  closes  this  chapter  will  show 
the  relative  strength  of  the  various  Conferences, 
the  number  of  missions,  missionaries,  Church 
members,  and  the  amount  of  money  expended 
for  the  maintenance  of  the  work.  In  this  table 
the  reader  will  see  the  gradual  expansion,  from 
year  to  year,  until,  in  i860,  there  were  no  less 
than  207,000  African  slaves  enrolled  upon  the 
register  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
South. 

"  The  religious  sentiment  of  the  whole  Southern 
country  was  now  keenly  and  zealously  aroused  in 
behalf  of  slave  missions.  Every  effort  within  the 
power  of  her  Christian  people  was  put  forth  to 
furnish  the  negro,  especially  the  plantation  negro, 
the  light  of  the  gospel.  Women,  and  even  little 
children,  contributed  to  the  treasury  fund.  There 
is  more  than  one  instance  on  record  where  the 
former  parted  with  earrings,  breastpins,  and  other 
jewelry,  that  their  value  in  dollars  might  go  to 
teach  the  poor  negro  the  way  of  eternal  life.  And 
once — ah  !  let  us  forever  preserve  that  incident — a 
child  gave  its  toys. 

"The  few  planters  who  had  at  first  opposed  the 
entrance  of  the  missionary,  fearing  malicious  out- 
side influence,  had  now,  with  rare  exception,  ac- 
knowledged their  error.  Indeed,  the  case  of 
Louisiana  was  but  the  case  of  every  Southern 
state  at  this  time;  the  call  for  missionaries  far  ex- 
ceeded the  supply.  Masters  and  mistresses,  even 
little  children,  now  helped  with  the  work.     Many, 


Plauiation  Missions  from  iS^^  to  iS6^.     303 

many  pictures  are  drawn  of  Southern  maidens,  re- 
fined and  delicately  reared,  seated  under  the  shade 
of  spreading  oak  or  within  some  outhouse,  teach- 
intj  the  catechism  to  the  little  negro  children ;  or 
again  beside  the  bed  of  the  aged  sick,  reading 
from  the  Bible  or  hymn  book.  The  mistress,  in 
the  absence  of  her  husband,  assembled  her  slaves, 
morning  and  evening,  reading  to  them  from  the 
most  precious  of  books,  while  the  words  of  prayer 
were  either  from  her  own  lips  or  those  of  some 
earnest,  faithful  negro. 

"On  the  cold,  hard  boards  of  a  negro  cabin, 
with  only  a  light  wrap  covering  the  night  clothes 
which  she  had  not  had  time  to  remove  in  the  haste 
of  her  summons,  a  young  girl,  delicate  herself  in 
health,  knelt,  hour  after  hour,  repeating  the  words 
of  Scripture  for  the  last  time  and  singing  hymns  to 
the  fondly  loved  old  mauma  on  whose  bosom  her 
baby  head  had  been  pillowed. 

"  On  a  plague-infested  island,  where  death  held 
high  carnival  and  every  breeze  was  a  vehicle  for 
his  poisoned  breath,  a  man  high  in  social  and  po- 
litical position — in  short,  the  Governor  of  his  state 
— went  from  cabin  to  cabin,  periling  his  own  life 
that  he  might  see  to  the  needs  and  comforts  of  his 
stricken  people. 

"  On  a  bed  of  pain  and  sickness,  when  almost 
every  movement  was  a  torture,  a  little  child — God 
bless  that  little  child — opened  the  way  of  eternal 
life  to  the  old  slave  man  who  attended  him. 

"  On  what  he  thought  to  be  his  dying  bed  Rev. 


304  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

Charles  Wilson  still  taught  his  people,  night  and 
morning,  often  with  their  eyes  wet,  around  him. 
In  the  same  spirit  he  and  his  noble  colleague  faced 
the  fearful  perils  of  plague-stricken  Jehossee.  A 
similar  instance  of  devotion  was  that  of  Rev.  Mr. 
Bryan  on  the  islands  around  Savannah,  Ga. 

"High  and  low  alike  entered  into  this  noble 
work.  There  was  no  phase  of  it  too  humble,  no 
duty  connected  with  it  too  unpleasant  to  deter  the 
most  earnest  and  painstaking  effort.  Bishop  Mc- 
Tyeire,  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South, 
declared  that  during  a  long  ministerial  life  there 
was  nothing  connected  with  it  in  which  he  took 
more  pride  and  satisfaction  than  the  remembrance 
of  the  more  than  three  hundred  sermons  he  had 
preached  to  negro  congregations.  As  these  words 
were  penned  in  1857,  he  could  doubtless  have 
added  another  three  hundred  to  the  number. 
Bishop  Haygood  holds  as  among  the  most  pleas- 
ing memories  of  his  maturer  life  the  fact  that,  as  a 
boy,  he  endeavored  to  teach  his  father's  old  ne- 
gro plowman  to  read. 

"Two  of  the  most  zealous  and  untiring  friends 
the  negro  race  ever  had  at  this  period,  who 
preached  to  them,  worked  for  them,  and  even, 
on  more  than  one  occasion,  catechised  their  chil- 
dren, were  Revs.  William  Capers  and  James  O. 
Andrew,  of  South  Carolina,  both  of  them  at  that 
time  bishops  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
South. 

"The    death    of    Bishop  Capers,    January    29, 


Plantation  Missions  from  18^4.  to  1S64.     305 

1855*  was  a  sad  and  heavy  blow  to  the  cause  that 
owed  its  beginning  as  much  to  his  devoted  and 
zealous  effort  as  to  any  other  source.  Even 
though  the  first  request  for  a  regular  missionary 
to  the  slaves  came  from  outsiders,  it  was,  never- 
theless, the  energy  and  eloquence  with  which  Wil- 
liam Capers  presented  the  point  before  his  Con- 
ference that  secured  for  the  movement  its  prompt 
and  hearty  inauguration.  Miss  Martin  is  right 
when  she  says  that  his  monument  at  Columbia 
bears  a  grander  inscription  than  that  of  the  great- 
est soldier  or  hero  of  earth; 

'  Founder  of  missions  to  the  slaves.' 

"As  the  corpse  lay  in  the  chancel  of  the  church 
at  Columbia,  one  of  the  most  affecting  scenes  in 
connection  with  the  day  was  the  large  number  of 
negroes  who  pressed  around,  each  seeking  to  get  a 
last  look  at  that  noble  and  serenely  reposing  face. 
He  had  been,  in  the  truest  sense,  their  friend,  and 
he  was  dead.  Tear  after  tear  fell  streaming  from 
their  eyes  upon  his  coffin. 

"There  was  scarcely  any  comparison  now  be- 
tween the  condition  of  these  plantation  negroes 
and  their  condition  when  first  the  light  of  evangeli- 
zation had  been  kindled  among  them.  Ignorant, 
superstitious,  grossly  immoral,  it  was  like  seeking 
to  pierce  the  well-nigh  impenetrable  darkness 
locked  in  the  very  bowels  of  the  earth.  Thou- 
sands of  them  could  only  speak  English  in  a 
broken  way;  hundreds  still  jabbered  unintelli- 
gibly in  their  Gulkih  and  other  African  dialects. 


3o6  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

It  was  pitiful  to  hear  them  trjnng  to  address  words 
of  petition  to  God  in  their  broken  language. 

"'O  mausa,  I  no  know  dis  country  talk,"  cried 
an  old  woman,  with  streaming  eyes,  in  the  Charles- 
ton class  meeting.  *  I  know  not'in'  but  de  Af- 
ricay.' 

"'Then,  my  sister,'  said  the  minister,  'pray 
to  God  in  the  African.  He  will  hear  you  all  the 
same.' 

"When  she  saw  him  again,  her  face  was  radi- 
ant. She  said:  *  I  do  as  you  telle  me.  I  pray 
God  een  de  Africay.  Meh  Lord  Jesus  yerry 
[hear]  me,  en  now  meh  soul  go  free.''  Her  joy 
grew  greater  still  when  she  learned  to  talk  to  God 
in  the  language  of  the  missionaries. 

"  On  an  island  near  Beaufort,  S.  C,  Rev.  John 
R.  Coburn  found  an  old  negro  whose  sole  reli- 
gious ideas  consisted  of  crying  to  the  sun  and 
moon  when  they  arose.  He  soon  left  him  shout- 
ing the  unspeakable  praises  of  one  living  and 
eternal  God. 

"In  the  canebrakes  of  Alabama  an  old  neo^ro 
named  Jack,  still  clmging  to  the  darkness  and  su- 
perstition of  his  greegree  worship,  met  a  mission- 
ary, Rev.  E.  Mortimer,  and  after  a  hard  struggle 
finally  opened  his  soul  to  the  true  light.  Jack 
lived  to  be  one  hundred  and  fifteen  years  old. 
The  light  shining  so  radiantly  from  his  soul  found 
its  way  to  others.  For  a  long  while  he  could  only 
talk  in  a  broken  way  of  his  new  feeling,  but  final- 
ly the  words  came  clearer  and  fuller,  and  he  could 


Plantation  Missions  from  iS^^  to  iS6^.     307 

pray  '  fervent,  effectual  prayers.'  The  missionary 
says  of  Jack's  death:  '  Old  Jack  died  on  his  knees 
while  at  prayer,  without  any  previous  sickness  to 
admonish  him  of  approaching  dissolution.  His  re- 
mains were  followed  to  the  grave  by  one  of  the 
largest  funeral  processions  ever  seen  in  this  vil- 
lage. The  citizens  and  ladies  of  Greenwood 
turned  out  as  though  to  do  honor  to  some  wor- 
thy citizen.' 

"Many  of  the  branches  plucked  from  decay 
became  themselves  the  source  of  life  to  others. 
Many  of  those  who  had  caught  the  seed  on  fruit- 
ful ground  became  themselves,  in  turn,  sowers  of 
the  word.  Hundreds  of  such  instances  could  be 
given,  but  I  have  space  for  only  one:  'At  the 
Plaquemine  quarterly  meeting,'  says  a  missionary, 
writing  from  Louisiana  in  September  of  1857,  'we 
observed,  on  Sunday  morning,  a  deeply  interested 
hearer,  a  black  man,  on  a  rear  seat.  After  serv- 
ice he  presented  himself  with  a  request.  He  had 
come  with  his  wife  eight  miles  to  have  a  child  bap- 
tized, and  though  sermon  and  sacrament  had  been 
appointed  there  for  colored  people  in  the  after- 
noon, he  could  not  wait  so  long.  His  request  was 
attended  to.  No  missionary  had  ever  been  on  his 
place,  yet  he  was  well  instructed  and  pious;  a  na- 
tive of  Frederick,  Va.,  and  converted  there;  his 
wife,  he  said,  was  in  the  gospel  before  him.  On 
that  sugar  plantation  of  Louisiana  was  seen  the 
leaven  principle  of  religion;  he  was  a  witness  and 
evangelist,  preaching  to  his  fellow-servants  in  his 


3o8  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

own  way,  and  showing  them  the  way  of  salvation. 
Said  he  joyously:  "  Fourteen  of  our  people  turned 
to  the  Lord  last  year."  ' 

"With  encouragement  and  advice  he  went  his 
way,  '  toting  '  the  new  Christian.  He  plunged  into 
the  cane  fields,  there  in  obscurity  to  be  a  witness 
for  the  Lord.  Some  day  he  will  come  again, 
bringing  his  sheaves  with  him. 

"And  thus  the  work  went  on  and  grew  year  by 
year,  spreading  out  and  striking  its  rootlets  into 
the  soil,  occupying,  more  perseveringly  still,  the 
old.  The  sentiment  expressed  at  this  time  by 
Bishop  Andrew  on  behalf  of  the  South  Carolina 
Conference  was  but  the  sentiment  of  the  others: 
'  Whatever  becomes  of  the  other  mission  work,  we 
wdll  never  abandon  our  negro  missions.'  Faith- 
fully were  these  words  kept,  even  through  the 
storm-rocked  period  of  disastrous  war. 

"At  the  close  of  i85<S  there  were  actively  oper- 
ated 221  distinct  slave  mission  fields,  in  addition 
to  a  full  twoscore  and  more  of  special  colored 
charges,  with  a  membership  in  the  mission  family 
proper  of  53,773  souls.  The  total  colored  mem- 
bership  in  the  Southern  Conferences  at  this  period 
was  155,932,  with  the  additional  lists  of  32,104  on 
probation  and  about  14,000  children  under  cate- 
chetical instruction. 

"  Presbyterian  and  Baptist  preachers,  as  well 
as  Methodists,  had  their  regular  charges  among 
the  slaves.  But  the  greater  work  done  by  these 
was  in  the  congregations  of  the  whites.     Preach- 


Plantation  Missions  from  1S44  to  1S64.     309 

ers  and  people  alike  worked  faithfully,  prayerful- 
ly to  bring  poor  sin-darkened  Ethiopia  into  the  full 
noonday  of  spiritual  righteousness.  It  was  not  a 
romantic  work  by  any  means.  It  lacked  many  of 
those  elements  which  stir  the  pulse  of  enthusiasm, 
but  it  was  nevertheless  the  work  of  hope,  of  faith, 
and  of  pure  consecrated  effort.  It  was  missionary 
work  in  its  highest  sense,  and  into  this  work  the 
Church  entered  with  the  full  measure  of  her  zeal 
and  liberality.  The  record  of  this  work  should 
be  preserved  forever  as  a  glory  that  cannot  be 
dimmed. 

"  Though  Bishop  Capers  was  dead,  the  noble 
and  zealous  Andrew  still  lived  to  push  the  work 
with  consecrated  zeal  and  vigor.  The  negro  race 
in  America  never  had  a  more  devoted  and  sympa- 
thetic friend  than  James  O.  Andrew,  bishop  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South.  Wherever 
he  went  he  talked  and  worked  in  their  behalf. 
Neither  pen  nor  tongue  was  ever  silent  when  a 
word  could  be  urged  for  the  good  of  the  cause. 

"'I  remember,'  says  Dr.  C.  K.  Marshall,  of 
Vicksburg,  Miss.,  'that  when  the  saintly  Bishop 
Andrew  presided  over  our  Conference  years  ago 
he  emphasized  the  duty  of  fidelity  to  Christ's  poor 
in  preaching  the  gospel,  by  dwelHng  at  considera- 
ble length  on  the  obligation  of  preaching  to  the 
slaves.  Said  he:  "  My  brethren,  our  estimates  of 
men  differ  widely  from  God's.  With  him  it  is  not 
a  question  of  age,  condition,  or  color.  He  looks 
alike  on  master  and  the  servant.      With  him  souls 


3IO  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

are  souls.  And  the  soul  of  the  poorest  slave,  washed 
in  redeeming  blood,  is  dearer  to  God  than  the  un- 
regenerated  spirit  of  the  greatest  monarch.  For 
myself  I  would  rather  know  that  some  poor  slave 
would  cast  a  flower  on  my  grave  when  I  am  gone, 
in  grateful  memory  of  my  agency  in  leading  him 
to  Jesus,  than  to  have  any  honor  this  poor  world 
could  bestow  upon  me."  I  quote  the  bishop's 
words  from  memory,  but  never  had  the  great  truth 
thus  announced  so  fixed  itself  upon  that  memory. 
The  pathos,  the  transparency,  the  inspiration  with 
which  he  poured  forth  that  half-hour's  appeal 
filled  every  attentive  ear  and  feeling  heart  with  a 
fresh  and  profound  sense  of  growing  obligation  to 
carry  the  light  of  divine  life  into  every  negro  cabin 
where  it  was  possible  to  find  access.' 

"  By  1859  ^^^  number  of  slave  missions  had  in- 
creased to  290,  served  by  292  missionaries  and 
coveringr  a  field  that  extended  from  the  Potomac 
to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  and  from  the  Atlantic  sea- 
board to  the  Mississippi  and  beyond.  In  all  this 
Southern  territory  few  were  the  plantations  that 
were  not  now  included  in  the  missionary's  regular 
visit  or  else  within  access  of  some  church  used  by 
both  whites  and  blacks.  The  number  of  members 
exclusively  in  this  mission  family  throughout  the 
different  Conferences  was  for  this  year  (1859) 
56,468.  The  total  colored  membership  for  the 
Southern  Methodist  Church  at  this  period  was 
163,296.  Of  this  number,  South  Carolina  had 
41,127;  Georgia,  21,455  ;  Alabama,  20,577;  North 


Plantation  Missions  from  1S44  to  1S64.     311 

Carolina,  11,708;  and  Mississippi,  ii,ooS.  The 
increase  of  colored  membership  for  this  one  year 
was  7,274.  The  amount  paid  out  for  the  mainte- 
nance of  these  missions  for  the  one  year  aggre- 
gated $130,076.88.  In  addition  to  this  there  were 
a  number  of  colored  Churches  partly  supported 
by  the  whites.  In  other  cases,  where  the  slaves 
themselves  paid  their  pastors,  they  were  given  the 
opportunity  by  their  owners  to  earn  the  money  for 
themselves. 

"  It  had  now  become  the  custom  in  all  the  larger 
cities  and  in  many  of  the  smaller  towns  for  the 
preachers  to  devote  Sunday  afternoon  to  the  reli- 
gious instruction  of  the  slaves  who  could  not  at- 
tend the  preaching  of  the  whites  in  the  morning. 
A  large  amount  of  missionary  work  was  done  in 
this  way.  Indeed,  the  Church  was  reaching  out 
in  every  direction  to  care  for  and  save  the  souls  of 
the  neo-ro  population  within  her  bounds.  Not  for 
a  moment  did  she  slacken  in  her  duty ;  never  once 
did  her  prayers  grow  less  or  her  zeal  grow  colder ; 
never  did  she  draw  her  purse  strings  against  any 
appeal  that  it  lay  in  her  power  to  answer.  Econ- 
omy in  many  directions  was  practiced,  that  the 
largest  liberality  might  be  possible  in  this  depart- 
ment of  Church  operations  am.ong  the  blacks. 
During  the  thirty-six  years  of  its  missionary  labors 
among  the  slave  population  of  its  plantations  the 
South  Carolina  Conference  alone  expended  a  sum 
closely  approaching  in  round  numbers  $400,000, 
or  an  average  of  more  than  $10,000  a  year.     Next 


312  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

to  this  came  the  Alabama  Conference,  which  gave 
$354,416.67.  Following  Alabama  was  the  Geor- 
gia Conference,  giving  $302,530.94.  This  was 
also  an  average  of  more  than  $10,000  a  year  for 
Alabama,  and  in  the  neighborhood  of  $9,500  for 
Georgia,  as  the  latter  was  two  years  and  the  for- 
mer five  years  behind  the  South  Carolina  Confer- 
ence in  beginning  missionary  operations.  Accord- 
ing to  the  length  of  time,  putting  the  calculation 
upon  the  basis  adopted,  the  Alabama  Conference 
gave  more  than  any  other  in  the  support  of  this 
work. 

"In  1861,  at  the  beginning  of  the  war,  there 
were  in  this  mission  family  77,802  members.  This 
included  three  colored  churches  in  the  cities  that 
were  purely  mission  churches.  In  the  plantation 
family  proper  there  were  70,301  in  full  connection 
in  addition  to  12,672  probationers,  and  nearly  six- 
teen thousand  children  under  catechetical  instruc- 
tion. In  South  Carolina  alone  there  were  over  two 
hundred  plantations  served.  The  next  largest  ter- 
ritory occupied  was  in  the  Mississippi  Valley,  and 
covering  ground  of  both  the  Mississippi  and  Lou- 
isiana Conferences.  For  this  year  Mississippi  re- 
ported the  largest  number  of  slave  missions  in  any 
Conference — 42  in  all.  While  the  figures  reported 
in  her  missionary  appropriations  are  not  so  large 
as  those  of  other  Conferences  occupying  like  her- 
self much  territory,  it  is  doubtless  true  that  much 
of  the  revenue  expended  in  the  support  of  these 
missions  was  not  included  in  the   report  of   the 


Plantation  Missions  from  iS^^  to  1S64.     313 

Minutes.  We  have  found  many  instances  of  Mis- 
sissippi and  Louisiana  planters  donating  bales  of 
cotton  and  hogsheads  of  sugar  and  syrup  toward 
the  salaries  of  the  missionaries.  There  is  also 
more  than  one  instance  of  planters  paying  their 
salaries  entire.  There  is  no  possible  way  of  get- 
ting a  correct  table  of  these  additional  funds.  The 
true  amount  expended  in  the  evangelization  of  the 
slaves,  not  only  by  this  Conference  but  by  the 
others  of  the  Southern  connection,  will  never  be 
known  until  the  pages  of  God's  account  book  lie 
open  in  the  presence  of  an  assembled  world. 

"During  the  year  1862,  when  the  guns  of  an 
invading  army  were  thundering  at  her  doors  and 
every  sinew  of  finance  was  strained  to  its  utmost 
tension,  the  South,  through  the  Southern  Metho- 
dist Church  alone,  paid  out  of  her  treasury  for  the 
evangelization  of  her  slaves  $93,509.87.  What 
the  other  Churches  paid  we  cannot  tell,  but  it  was 
probably  as  much  as  $57,000,  amounting  in  all  to 
$150,000.  For  this  year  (1862)  the  Methodist 
Church,  South,  had  in  her  slave  mission  family 
63,649  members.  Several  thousand  of  those  In 
the  regular  mission  family  had  for  various  reasons 
been  placed  in  the  work  of  the  regular  circuits. 
Here  they  were  as  faithfully  cared  for  as  they  had 
been  in  their  own  mission.  The  heroism  and  the 
zeal  with  which  the  Southern  Churches  kept  their 
faith  in  this  work  of  evangelization  throughout  all 
this  stormy  period  forms  a  chapter  that  must  thrill 
every  Southern  heart  and  win  the  honest  admira- 


314  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

tion  and  commendation  of  every  fair-minded  per- 
son, irrespective  of  creed  or  section. 

''From  the  year  1862  the  numerous  breaks  in 
the  mission  Minutes  form  insurmountable  obsta- 
cles in  the  way  of  preparing  anything  like  a  defi- 
nite statement.  From  the  beginning  of  that  year 
to  1865,  first  one  Conference  and  then  another 
had  portions  of  its  territory  'within  the  enem^^'s 
lines.'  Sometimes  an  entire  district,  maybe  two 
and  three,  would  be  thus  situated,  and  were  there- 
fore left  out  of  the  statistics  of  the  Minutes ;  or  the 
omission  would  be  that  of  a  whole  Conference, 
with  no  annual  meeting  at  all.  But  because  there 
was  no  report  given  we  must  not  understand  that 
there  was  no  work  done.  Far  from  it.  This  we 
know  to  a  certainty:  whatever  lay  within  the  scope 
of  human  power  strengthened  by  divine  aid  was 
done  that  the  work  might  go  forward  with  its  full 
vigor.  There  were  heroes  outside  the  army,  mor- 
al heroes  as  well  as  physical,  men  who  were  con- 
stantly sacrificing  self  and  the  tenderest  feelings 
that  this  work  of  salvation  to  the  negro  race  of  the 
South  might  not  grow  stagnant  in  a  single  vein 
through  which  the  life  current  might  be  made  to 
penetrate.  Physical  heroes  they  were  too.  The 
story  comes  of  a  brave  old  missionar}^  out  in  the 
Tennessee  Valley,  who,  finding  the  bridge  gone, 
burned  by  a  retreating  army,  swam  the  icy  current, 
that  he  might  preach  to  his  waiting  charge  on  the 
other  side.  The  negroes  made  him  a  fire  of  pine 
knots,  and  as  he  dried  his  steaming  clothes  he 


Plantation  Missions  from  18^4.  to  1864..     315 

preached  to  them  the  word  of  life.  Down  through 
a  Hne  of  pickets,  with  a  shower  of  bullets  follow- 
ing him,  rode  another  of  these  heroic  knights  of 
the  cross,  that  the  little  band  of  expectant  negroes 
in  the  pine  woods  of  Georgia  might  not  be  denied 
the  sacrament  for  which  they  waited. 

"Dr.  C.  K.  Marshall,  of  Vicksburg,  is  right 
when  he  says  of  this  stormy  period  as  well  as  of 
the  trying  times  that  preceded  it:  'I  doubt  if  more 
trying  conditions  ever  taxed  the  power  and  piety 
of  foreign  missionaries,  save  in  a  few  fields  of  re- 
markable embarrassment,  than  were  encountered 
by  the  intrepid  and  faithful  workers  of  those  days.' 
Consecrated  women,  too,  as  well  as  men,  strug- 
gled to  keep  the  flame  of  this  noble  work  aglow. 
Instances  innumerable  are  given  of  these  Christian 
women,  in  the  absence  of  their  husbands  in  the 
army,  assembHng  their  slaves,  night  and  morning, 
for  prayer.  Often,  too,  when  the  missionary  was 
detained,  either  providentially  or  by  the  interven- 
ing lines  of  the  enemy,  they  gathered  their  slaves 
for  the  regular  worship,  and,  reading  a  selection 
from  the  Bible,  endeavored  to  give  them  a  plain 
and  practical  sermon  from  it.  This  deep  and 
earnest  solicitude  for  the  salvation  of  the  negro 
race  had  its  abiding  place  deep  in  the  hearts  of 
thousands  of  the  Christian  men  and  women  of  the 
South.  Born  of  the  Spirit  of  God,  supplied  from 
the  fountains  of  an  ever  springing  humanity,  it 
could  not  be  quenched,  even  by  the  angry  and 
turbulent  floods  of  raging  war.  It  was  an  ever 
21 


3^6  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

living  presence  sweetening  and  purifying,  eleva- 
ting and  ennobling.  To-day  the  fair  flowers  of 
righteousness  that  it  watered  into  immortal  growth 
within  the  hearts  of  hundreds — nay,  thousands — of 
the  old  time  negro  race  of  the  South  exhale  a 
sweetness  and  a  fragrance  that  is  unlike  that  of 
the  later  and  more  exotic  growth  that  surrounds 
them.  We  do  not  intend  to  demean  the  younger 
generation  of  the  negroes  of  the  South.  There 
are  many  instances  of  this  sweet  humility,  this 
deep  earnestness  of  nature,  flowing  in  an  unbro- 
ken stream  from  parent  to  child.  Where  the  reli- 
gion is  pure  and  deep  and  fervent,  a  true,  breath- 
ing, living  religion,  the  fragrance  of  gentle  pur- 
poses, of  wholesome  endeavors,  of  elevating  in- 
stincts, of  love,  of  good-will,  and  of  genuine  Chris- 
tianity will  show  itself  unmistakably. 

*'  Though  paralyzed  in  every  nerve  by  the  strain 
of  a  three  years'  war,  and  having  every  resource 
well-nigh  exhausted,  the  South  paid  out  during  the 
year  1864  for  the  religious  instruction  of  her  slaves 
a  sum  that  would  closely  approximate,  we  think, 
$250,000.  Of  this  amount  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church,  South,  paid  nearly  two-thirds,  or 
$158,421.96.  During  the  very  last  year  of  the 
struggle,  when  poverty  and  prostration  lay  on  ev- 
ery side,  and  fully  two-thirds  of  the  Southern  ter- 
ritory had  been  swept  as  though  by  a  cyclone,  the 
sum  of  $80,000  was  raised  by  the  Southern  Meth- 
odist Church  in  support  of  negro  evangelization. 

"  During  the  thirty-four  years  of  its  slave  mis- 


Plantation  Missions  from  i8^^  to  1864..     317 

sion  period,  the  Methodist  Church,  South,  paid 
out  upward  of  $2,000,000  for  the  Christianizincr 
of  the  negro  race.  There  is  no  going  behind  that 
sum  ;  to  go  beyond  it — well  beyond  it — would  give 
the  more  accurate  estimate.  I  have  no  doubt 
whatever,  from  the  careful  examination  and  in- 
quiry that  I  have  given  the  subject,  that  a  full  half 
million  more  might  safely  be  counted.  What  a 
glorious  chain  it  would  form  could  every  '  missing 
link  '  be  added !  And  yet  there  are  some  people 
who  say  that  we  have  done  nothing. 

"At  the  setting  off,  in  1870,  from  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  South,  of  the  Colored  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  Church,  the  colored  membership 
numbered  nearly  80,000.  This  was  a  considera- 
ble falling  off  from  the  membership  of  over  200,- 
000  it  had  numbered  a  few  years  previous.  The 
question  naturally  arises:  What  had  become  of  this 
membership?  The  two  African  Churches  of  the 
North  had  absorbed  a  large  share  of  it,  and  the 
other  portion  had  gone  to  the  Northern  Methodist 
Church. 

"Bishop  Haygood,  in  his  'Brother  in  Black,' 
estimates  that  at  the  close  of  the  war  between  the 
states  there  were  nearly  half  a  million  negroes  who 
had  been  brought  into  the  folds  of  the  different 
Churches  through  the  efforts  of  the  Christian  men 
and  women  of  the  South.  How  many  more  of 
this  great  mass  had  felt  the  uplifting  influence  of 
the  leaven  of  consecrated  effort  no  man  can  esti- 
mate." 


3i8 


The  Gospel  among'  the  Slaves. 


The  following  table  presents  a  view  of  the  ap- 
propriations made  by  the  several  Conferences  from 
1845  to  1864  inclusive,  a  period  of  twenty  years, 
disturbed,  in  the  latter  part  of  the  time,  by  the  oc- 
cupation of  the  Southern  territory  by  the  Federal 
troops.  The  fidelity  of  the  white  people  of  the 
South  to  the  religious  welfare  of  the  African  slaves 
is  one  of  the  most  remarkable  facts  connected  with 
the  most  remarkable  struggle  recorded  in  modern 

history. 

Statistics  from  1844  to  1864. 


Year. 


1845 
1845 
1845 
1845 
1845 
1845 
1845 
1845 
1845 
1845 

184s 
1846 
1846 
1846 
1846 
1846 
1846 
1846 
1846 
1846 
1846 
1846 
1846 
1846 
1847 
1847 
1847 
1847 
1847 


Conference. 


South  Carolina 

Georgia 

Tennessee  .... 
Mississippi. . . . 

Memphis 

Alabama 

Virginia 

North  Carolina 

Arkansas 

Florida 

East  Texas  .... 
South  Carolina 

Georgia 

Tennessee 

Mississippi. . . . 

Memphis 

Alabama 

Louisiana 

Virginia 

Florida 

North  Carolina 

Arkansas 

Louisville 

St.  Louis 

South  Carolina 

Georgia 

Tennessee 

Memphis 

Alabama 


Missions. 

Members. 

Missiona- 
ries. 

17 

8,314 

22 

10 

3,106 

12 

12 

3,311 

H 

II 

3,022 

12 

II 

3,383 

12 

II 

2,900 

12 

3 

481 

3 

3 

187 

3 

I 

"3 

I 

3 

563 

3 

I 

I 

17 

9.321 

24 

12 

3,487 

15 

16 

3,706 

18 

10 

2,397 

12 

13 

3,394 

16 

13 

3,149 

15 

8 

2,165 

9 

3 

433 

3 

3 

465 

3 

2 

224 

2 

I 

109 

I 

I 

211 

I 

I 

421 

I 

17 

9,439 

24 

12 

3,176 

14 

19 

4,716 

21 

14 

3,567 

16 

14 

3,.583 

16 

Amount 
Appropn'ed. 


g  9,720  60 

4>343  50 

2,848  75 

4,152  .50 

3,2.54  16 

4,384  35 

1,985  60 

900  00 

300  00 

1,210  50 

300  00 

9,398  24 

5,776  40 

3,862  00 

3,600  00 

3,900  00 

4,350  00 

3,966  00 

2,266  00 

815  02 

i,o6S  00 

300  00 

300  00 

300  00 

11,870  00 

5,110  00 

3,221  75 

3,286  40 

4,350  60 


Plantation  Missions  from  1844  to  1S64.     319 
Statistics  from  1844  to  1864  (Continued). 


Year 


Conference. 


,-.    .  .1       u  Missiona-       Amount 

Missions.     Members.         ^.j^^^        Appropri'ed. 


1847    Mississippi  . , 

1847    Louisiana 

1847    Virginia 

1847    Florida 

1847    North  Carolina. . 
1847    Arkansas 

1847  Louisville 

1848  South  Carolina.. 

1S48    Georgia 

1848    Tennessee 

1848    Alabama 

1848    Mississippi 

184S    Louisiana 

1848    Memphis 

1848    Virginia 

1848    Arkansas 

1848    North  Carolina. . 

1848    Florida 

1848    East  Texas 

1848    Texas  

184S    Louisville 

1848  St.  Louis 

1S49    St.  Louis 

1849  Holston 

1849    Tennessee 

1849    Virginia 

1849    Arkansas 

1849    Memphis 

1849    North  Carolina..  . 

1849    Mississippi 

1849    South  Carolina. . . 

1849    East  Texas 

1849    Texas  

1849    Louisiana 

1849    Georgia 

1849    Alabama , 

1849  Florida 

1850  Holston 

1850  Virginia 

1850  Arkansas  

1850  Tennessee 

1850  North  Carolina. . , 

i8so  Memphis 

1850  East  Texas 

1850  Texas  


9 

8 

3 

3 

2 

I 
I 

16 
13 
IS 
19 
15 
14 

6 

4 
3 
4 
2 
2 
2 
I 
I 
I 

12 

3 

3 

9 

3 

17 

16 

2 

2 

11 

12 

12 

4 
I 

3 

3 

5 

3 

10 


2,357 

2,265 

496 

465 

224 

126 

421 

9,874 

4,613 

3,907 

3,863 

3,198 

3,29^ 

3,852 

1,1.54 

372 

196 

60 

123 

"3 

1,498 

50 

75 


10 
9 
3 
3 

2 


23 
16 

17 

21 

17 

16 

15 
6 

4 
3 

4 

2 
2 

2 


3,169 

13 

520 

3 

365 

3 

2,451 

10 

563 

3 

3,348 

19 

9,031 

22 

223 

2 

188 

2 

2,215 

12 

4,311 

14 

2,900 

13 

4-58 

4 

197 

I 

1,257 

3 

369 

3 

1,156 

4 

621 

3 

2,804 

II 

217 


\  2,700  00 

1,595  38 

900  00 
815  00 

1,066  00 

300  00 

600  00 

10,184  00 

5,726  00 

"3,074  34 
4,8.59  36 

2,064  60 

3,424  16 
5,185  32 

1,800  00 
1,200  00 

1,150  40 

1,200  00 
600  00 
812  26 
600  00 
300  00 
300  00 
300  00 

4,239  28 

900  00 
900  00 

4,514  00 

900  00 

3,358  66 

10,835  00 

600  00 

600  00 

1,912  00 

7,969  76 

5,460  00 

1,207  02 

300  00 

900  00 

900  00 

2,892  00 

1,290  20 

5,250  00 

300  00 

600  00 


320  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

Statistics  from  1844  to  1S64  (Continued). 


Year. 


1850 
1850 
1850 
1850 
1S50 
iSso 
1851 
1 85 1 
185 1 
1S51 
1 85 1 
185 1 
1851 
1851 
1851 
1S51 
1S51 
1851 
18.S1 
1852 
1852 
1S52 
1852 
1852 
1852 
1852 
1852 
1852 
1852 
1852 
1852 
1852 
1853 
1853 
1853 
1853 
1853 
1853 
1853 
1853 
1853 
1853 
1853 
1853 
1853 


Conference. 


South  Carolina 

Georgia 

Mississippi. . . . 

Alabama 

Louisiana 

Florida 

Virginia  

Tennessee 

Arkansas 

North  Carolina 

Memphis 

South  Carolina 

Georgia 

Mississippi .... 

Alabama 

Louisiana 

Florida 

East  Texas. . . . 

Texas  

Tennessee 

Arkansas 

North  Carolina 

Virginia 

Memphis 

South  Carolina 

Georgia 

Mississippi . 

Alabama 

Louisiana 

Florida 

East  Texas. . . . 

Texas 

Virginia 

Tennessee 

Arkansas 

North  Carolina 

Memphis 

South  Carolina 

Georgia 

Mississippi, . . . 

Alabama 

Louisiana 

Florida 

East  Texas. . . . 
Texas  


Missions. 


16 

II 

16 

10 

4 

5 

3 

6 

I 

4 

7 

18 

13 
19 
10 

7 
4 

2 

7 

3 

4 

4 

10 

20 

11 

23 

15 

12 

4 
I 
6 
6 

9 

2 

4 
II 


26 

21 

II 

6 

I 

9 


Members. 


8,326 
3,908 

2,75c 
3,021 
1,381 

585 
1,098 
1,284 

220 
1,328 
1,896 
8,700 

4,039 
4,161 

2,475 

1,563 

751 


1,915 
314 
1,793 
2,141 
2,729 
9,910 
3,912 
4,768 

3,143 

2,368 

1,016 

109 

603 

2,218 

2,277 

277 

1,713 

2,816 

11,653 
6,104 
5,036 
4,890! 
3,627 
1,460 
340 
811 


Missiona- 
ries. 


24 

13 

18 
10 

5 
5 
3 
6 
I 
4 
7 

25 

15 

21 

II 

7 

4 

2 

2 

7 

3 

4 

4 

II 

27 

13 

26 

16 

H 

4 

I 

6 

6 

9 

2 

4 
12 

28 
24 
28 

23 

12 

6 

I 

9 


Amount 
Appropri'ed. 


;iI,So8  16 
8,142  02 

3.845  32 

6,330  66 
2,874  00 

1,333  32 
900  00 

4,316  22 

300  00 

2,816  70 

6.168  84 
12,265  32 
10,184  60 

3,982  68 
17,220  66 

2,197  30 

1,903  18 

600  00 

600  00 

5,145  86 

848  66 

3.846  00 
4,896  00 
9,717  76 

14,907  66 

11,2x8  28 

6,900  00 

13,420  00 

7,256  96 

1,618  00 

300  00 

2,029  62 

9,069  68 

2,700  00 

600  00 

2,400  00 

8.169  76 
16,699  40 

11,931  72 
7,800  00 

15,133  20 

2,552  66 

2,002  60 

300  00 

2,773  03 


Plantation  Missions  from  18^4.  to  1864..     321 
Statistics  from  1844  to  1864  (Continued). 


Year. 


1854 
1854 
1854 
1854 
1854 
1854 
1854 
1854 
1854 
1S54 
1S54 
1854 
1854 
1855 
1855 
1855 
185s 
1855 
1855 
1855 
1855 
1S55 
1855 
1855 
1S55 
1S55 
1855 
1856 
1856 
i8s6 
18^6 
i8s6 
1856 
1856 
i8q6 
1856 
1856 
i8s6 
1 8^6 
1S56 
1S56 
i8s6 
1857 
1857 
1857 


Conference. 


Tennessee 

Memphis 

Mississippi 

Louisiana 

Virginia 

North  Carolina. . 

Georgia 

South  Carolina. . 

Alabama 

Florida 

Texas  

East  Texas 

Arkansas 

South  Carolina. . 

St.  Louis 

Tennessee 

Memphis 

Virginia..; 

Ark.  &  Wachita. 

Mississippi 

North  Carolina. . 

East  Texas 

Alabama 

Florida 

Louisiana 

Texas 

Georgia 

St.  Louis 

Holston 

Tennessee 

Virginia 

Ark.  &  Wachita, 

Memphis 

Mississippi 

North  Carolina. . 
South  Carolina. . 

Alabama 

Florida 

Louisiana 

East  Texas 

Texas  

Georgia 

St.  Louis 

Tennessee , 

Holston , 


Missions. 


7 

14 
23 
10 

5 
5 

28 

26 

20 

6 

II 

2 

3 

25 


19 
6 

3 

23 
6 

3 

21 

6 

13 

13 

27 

2 

I 

8 

6 

6 

20 

26 

6 

24 

34 
II 

9 

2 

5 
24 

2 

7 


Members. 


2,187 
3,196 
5,886 
3,606 
2,496 
2,632 
9,14s 
11,546 
6,215 

1,324 
90 

453 

319 

10,523 

2,368 
4,203 
2,121 

321 
5,426 
2,981 

408 
7,578 
1,059 
3,838 

848 
8,031 
1,200 

401 
2,621 
2,120 
1,691 
4,513 
5,651 
2,161 
9,98 
8,487 
1,57s 
3,232 

322 

921 
8,214 
1,231 
2,531 

421 


Missiona- 
ries, 


Amount 
Appropri'ed, 


7 
15 
24 
II 

5 
5 

31 

32 

21 
6 

10 
2 
3 

32 
I 
8 

20 
6 
3 

25 
6 

3 

21 
6 

13 
29 

2 
I 

7 
6 

5 
18 

19 
6 

30 

33 
9 
9 

2 

5 
21 
2 
6 
I 


P  4,083  38 

7,801  64 

4,385  68 

2,923  30 

3,000  00 

3,000  00 

11,265  86 

15,188  06 

13,980  50 

3,082  34 

2,305  80 

600  GO 

600  00 

15,375  00 

300  00 

5,514  66 
8,965  30 
3,600  00 

900  00 
7,821  82 
3,600  00 
1,372  56 
15,522  74 
2,726  72 
2,901  54 
1,866  66 
12,636  20 

600  00 

300  00 
6,138  24 
3,600  00 
3,990  02 
5,133  32 
7,700  00 
3,000  00 
18,275  44 
30,933  32 
3,896  40 
6,110  98 

600  00 

3,000  00 

14,410  34 

600  00 

5,615  48 
300  00 


322  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

Statistics  from  1844  to  1S64  (Continued). 


Year. 


1S57 
1^57 
i«57 
1857 
1857 
1857 
1857 
1857 
1857 
1857 
1857 
1857 
1857 
1858 
1S58 
1858 
1858 
1858 
1858 
i8s8 
1858 
iS;8 
i8s8 
1858 
i8s8 
i8s8 
i8s8 
1858 
1858 
1859 
1859 
1859 
1859 
1859 
1859 
1859 
1859 
1859 
1S59 
1859 
1859 
1859 
1859 
1859 
1859 


Conference. 


Memphis 

Mississippi  .... 

Virginia 

North  Carolina 
South  Carolina 

Georgia 

Alabama 

Florida 

Texas 

East  Texas. . . . 

Arkansas 

Wachita 

Louisiana 

South  Carolina 

St.  Louis 

Tennessee 

Holston 

Memphis 

Mississippi .. . . 

Louisiana 

Vii-ginia 

North  Carolina 

Georgia 

Alabama 

Florida 

Texas 

East  Texas. . . . 

Arkansas 

Wachita  ...... 

St.  Louis 

Tennessee 

Holston 

Memphis 

Mississippi. . . . 

Louisiana 

Virginia  

North  Carolina 

Georgia 

Alabama 

Florida 

Texas  

East  Texas. . . . 

Arkansas 

Wachita 

South  Carolina 


Missions. 

Members. 

Missiona- 

ries. 

24 

4,291 

23 

29 

5,984 

30 

9 

2,857 

8 

7 

2,431 

6 

27 

11,026 

33 

23 

7,891 

22 

3^ 

8,301 

30 

S 

1,384 

7 

15 

897 

14 

4 

760 

3 

5 

934 

5 

5 

581 

5 

10 

3,512 

10 

28 

12,102 

34 

I 

275 

I 

8 

2,678 

8 

2 

324 

2 

18 

4,579 

20 

33 

6,061 

34 

10 

1,928 

9 

13 

1,483 

II 

9 

2,298 

8 

28 

8,364 

29 

35 

7,583 

32 

7 

1,624 

6 

14 

960 

12 

7 

694 

6 

4 

391 

4 

5 

434 

4 

2 

334 

2 

10 

2,6i8 

10 

3 

408 

3 

19 

4,057 

18 

35 

6,289 

36 

'4 

2,012 

H 

16 

3,539 

15 

10 

2,127 

10 

40 

10,734 

43 

38 

8,381 

39 

12 

2,878 

13 

27 

i,6s8 

25 

9 

781 

7 

7 

626 

6 

14 

922 

12 

31 

9,104 

37 

Amount 
Appropri'ed. 

P  8,197  94 

7,137  10 

11,666  66 

6,400  70 

16,023  52 

12,396  26 

18,144  74 

4,100  36 

3,821  92 

2,524  78 
2,368  62 
2,732  82 

5.331  84 
18,755  34 

300  00 

5,474  42 
600  00 
7,551  26 
9,491  20 
5,142  06 

14,294  18 
5,418  76 

15,430  02 

22,486  46 
4,029  44 
5,173  86 
2,003  32 
1,628  12 
3,333  32 
600  00 
4,626  90 
900  00 
7,683  78 

10,200  00 

4,534  58 
14,588  44 

7,058  44 
16,420  66 
25,849  10 

3.332  So 
6,451  80 
4,133  20 
1,568  80 
4,000  00 

18,128  38 


Plantation  Missions  from  184^  to  1S64.     323 
Statistics  from  1844  to  1864  (Continued). 


Year. 

CONFERENXE. 

i860 

St.  Louis 

i860 
i860 
i860 

Louisville 

Tennessee 

Holston 

i860 

Memphis 

i860 
i860 
i860 

Mississippi 

Louisiana 

Virginia 

i860 
i860 
i860 

North  Carolina. , . 
South  Carolina. . . 
Georgia 

i860 

Alabama 

i860 

Florida        

i860 

Texas 

1S60 

East  Texas 

Arkansas. 

Wachita 

South  Carolina. 

Louisville 

Tennessee 

Holston 

Memphis 

Mississippi 

Louisiana 

Virginia  

North  Carolina. 

Georgia 

Florida 

Alabama  * 

Texas  

East  Texas*  . . . 

Arkansas 

Wachita 

Louisville*  . . . . 

Tennessee 

Holston 

Memphis 

Mississippi 

Louisiana 

Virginia 

North  Carolina. 
South  Carolina. 
Georgia 


Missions. 

2 
5 

4 
24 
46 
16 
20 
12 
33 
38 
40 
II 
29 

8 

8 
20 
38 

4 
16 

4 
22 
42 

13 
20 

14 
39 
10 
40 
32 
8 

7 
20 

4 
15 

5 
20 

39 
14 
iS 
16 
26 
38 


Members. 


Missiona- 
ries. 


431 

983 

3,417 

593 

4,093 

7,659 

2,957 

4,5^7 

3,259 

10,231 

1 1 ,07 1 

9,208 

2,913 

1,761 

824 

674 

1,226 

10,928 

928 

3,557 
674 
4,124 
8,061 
2,633 

4,49 
3,264 
11,125 
2,821 
9,208 
2,045 
824 

654 

1,221 

928 

3,451 

711 

4,110 

7,432 
2,433 
4,362 
4,166 

8,737 
10,931 


2 

5 
12 

4 
23 
48 
18 
20 
12 
38 

41 
40 
10 

29 
8 

7 

18 
42 

4 
14 

4 
21 

43 
13 
20 

13 
41 

9 
40 
30 

8 

7 
18 

4 
13 

5 

18 
40 

14 
18 

IS 
52 
39 


Amount 
Appropri'ed. 


>      600  00 
2,500  00 

5,140  86 

1,200  00 

7,023  06 

14,400  00 

6,333  30 

13,558  44 

6,558  44 

16,309  02 

19,292  04 

27,091  66 

3,490  46 

8,702  62 

2,400  00 

2,400  00 

2,545  32 

9,692  62 

1,200  00 

4,800  00 

1,200  00 

6,300  00 

8,733  50 

3,900  00 
6,000  00 

3.318  14 

11,838  52 

2,966  28 

27,091  66 

4,429  32 
2,400  00 
2,100  00 
2,540  02 
1,200  00 
4,500  00 
2,691  48 
6,ono  00 
11,700  00 
4,200  00 
4,200  00 

4,424  75 
10,285  44 
13,798  20 


*  Figures  for  this  year  not  given.     These  are  the  figures  for  preceding  year. 


324  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

Statistics  from  1844  to  1864  (Continued). 


Year. 


1862 
1862 
1862 
1862 
1862 
1862 
1863 
1863 
1863 
1863 
1863 
1863 
1863 
1S63 
1863 
1S63 
1863 
1863 
1863 
1863 
1864 
1864 
1864 
1864 
1864 
1864 
1864 
1864 
1864 
1864 
1864 
1864 
1864 


Conference. 


Alabama 

Florida 

Texas  

East  Texas. . . . 

Arkansas 

Wachita 

Tennessee 

Holston 

Memphis 

Mississippi. . . . 

Louisiana 

Virginia  

North  Carolina 
South  Carolina 

Georgia 

Alabama 

Florida 

Texas 

East  Texas  . . . . 

Arkansas 

Louisville 

Hoiston 

Virginia 

North  Carolina 
South  Carolina 

Georgia 

Montgomery. . 

Mobile 

Florida 

Texas 

East  Texas. , . . 

Arkansas 

Wachita 


Missions. 

Members. 

Missiona- 
ries. 

36 

8,962 

35 

8 

2,652 

7 

28 

2,011 

27 

9 

868 

9 

7 

654 

7 

21 

1,241 

18 

15 

1,351 

13 

4 

684 

4 

22 

3,912 

20 

36 

7,302 

36 

12 

2,332 

12 

12 

3,124 

" 

14 

3,821 

14 

25 

29 

39 

11,611 

39 

37 

9,020 

37 

10 

2,804 

9 

28 

2,011 

27 

9 

868 

9 

7 

654 

7 

2 

613 

2 

3 

694 

3 

14 

3,226 

14 

13 

3,654 

13 

29 

*  13,373 

32 

37 

11,421 

36 

22 

5,153 

22 

23 

5,684 

33 

9 

2,703 

9 

29 

2,213 

27 

10 

963 

9 

8 

684 

S 

18 

1,172 

16 

Amount 
Appropri'ed. 


$10,800  00 
2,400  00 
8,400  00 
2,700  00 
2,100  00 
5,400  00 
3,900  00 
1,200  00 
6,648  46 
10,800  00 
3,600  00 
3,300  00 
4,200  00 
27,000    18 

45,-l6o  34 

31,311  50 

2,700  00 

8,400  00 

2,700  00 

2,100  00 

600  00 

900  00 

8,400  00 

3,900  00 

42,475  80 

11,700  00 

24,508  00 

26,938  16 

2,700  00 

8,100  00 

2,700  00 

2,400  00 

4,800  00 


*This    includes  the  newly  established   mission  in  Charleston,  which  num- 
bered 3,842. 

In  the  foregoing  table  we  have  placed  the  Con- 
ferences in  the  order  in  which  plantation  missions 
were  established.  The  collections  taken  for  the 
purpose  extended  in  some  few  instances  to  the 
year  1864,  but  the  last  year  of  the  civil  war  af- 


Plantation  Missions  from  i8^^  to  iS6^.     325 

forded  no  opportunity  for  missionary  operations  of 
any  kind.  In  1864  the  Alabama  Conference  ap- 
pears in  the  divided  territory,  forming  "  Mobile  " 
and  "  Montgomery"  Conferences,  and  the  aggre- 
gate contributions  of  these  bodies  are  included 
under  "Alabama." 

It  will  be  seen  by  this  table  that  the  highest  fig- 
ures were  recorded  in  1861,  the  first  year  of  the 
civil  war.  At  that  time  there  were  329  missions, 
327  missionaries,  66,559  members,  and  $86,359.20 
appropriated  for  the  "  plantation  "  missions  to  the 
slaves  in  the  South.  As  increasing  operations  of 
the  Federal  army  reduced  the  territory  of  these 
Conferences,  the  work  of  the  missionaries  was 
suspended,  and  ultimately  it  was  destroyed  by  the 
results  of  the  war. 

It  must  be  remembered  also  that  many  of  the 
Conferences  had  no  extensive  communities  of  Af- 
rican slaves,  and  therefore  the  "  plantation  mis- 
sion "  was  not  in  existence.  The  gospel  was 
preached  to  the  negroes  in  common  with  the 
whites  everywhere  throughout  the  South,  and  in 
many  places,  smaller  stations  especially,  a  negro 
mission  was  attached  to  the  work  of  the  pastor, 
and  once  a  month  or  oftener  the  pastor  gave  a 
part  of  the  Sabbath  to  the  "  colored  charge."  In 
regular  stations  of  the  larger  classes  the  afternoon 
was  usually  a  special  time  allotted  to  the  negroes, 
and  the  only  exception  to  this  rule  was  in  the  large 
cities,  where  the  negroes  were  sufficiently  numer- 
ous to  form  p.astoral  charges  of  their  own.     To 


326 


The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 


those  experienced  and  often  able  ministers  were 
regularly  appointed. 

The  reader  will  be  interested  in  the  table  which 
follows.  We  have  taken  the  appropriations  made 
by  each  Conference  from  1829  to  1864,  and  by 
dividing  the  time  into  two  periods  we  are  able  to 
see  the  work  accomplished  prior  to  and  subse- 
quent to  1844.  As  in  the  table  of  details,  the 
Conferences  appear  in  the  list  in  the  order  in 
which  plantation  missions  were  established. 

Amounts  Appropriated    for   Plantation   Missions  from 
1829  to  1864, 


Conference. 

1829  to  1844. 

1844  to  1864. 

Total. 

South  Carolina 

Georgia 

$  58,879  Si 
41,980  80 

14,524  56 

19,302  79 

8,683  45 

17,366  36 

2,400  00 

2,110  70 

1,104  50 

905  90 

$  315,197  18 

255,050  72 

83,094  14 

130,773  06 

120,751  00 

340,166  67 

109,825  00 

66,316  53 

27,804  22 

46,416  42 

26,133  86 

70,769  06 

3,900  00 

6,700  00 

68,066  88 

9,891  48 

25,351  48 

$    374,076  99 
297,030  52 
97,618  70 
150,075  85 
129,434  45 
357,533  03 
112,225  00 

Tennessee 

Tvlississippi 

Memphis 

Alabama 

Virj^inia 

North  Carolina.. . . 

Arkansas   

Florida 

68,427  23 
28,908  72 
47,322  32 
26,133  86 
70,769  06 
3,900  00 

Louisiana 

St.  Louis 

Louisville 

6,700  00 

Texas 

68,066  88 

Holston 

9,891  48 

Wachita 

25,351  48 

Total 

$167,258  87 

$1,706,207  70 

$1,873,466  27 

CHAPTER  XVI. 
Traits  of  Christian  Character. 

IN  no  land,  east  or  west,  has  the  gospel  won  a 
greater  number  of  conquests  than  those  record- 
ed by  the  missionaries  to  the  slaves  in  the  South. 
The  character  of  the  negro  in  his  savage  state  we 
have  seen  described  by  thoughtful  and  impartial 
observers.  His  removal  from  his  native  country 
to  the  United  States,  accomplished  by  the  basest 
of  treachery  and  the  crudest  of  means  in  the  great 
majority  of  instances,  only  transferred  him  from  a 
heathen  to  a  Christian  country.  In  the  nature  of 
the  case  it  was  impossible  for  many  of  the  direct 
blessings  of  civilization  to  reach  him  as  a  slave  on 
a  large  plantation,  cut  off  from  all  means  of  im- 
provement and  from  all  associations  likely  to  ele- 
vate his  moral  character. 

It  was  in  this  relation  to  American  society,  that 
of  a  transplanted  heathen,  that  the  negro  became 
a  subject  of  philanthropic  labor  and  self-sacrific- 
ing toil.  Unlike  the  stolid  Chinaman,  the  negro 
has  a  temperament  eminently  adapted  to  religious 
emotions.  Forms  and  ceremonies  go  for  little, 
because  to  whatever  extent  these  sons  of  Africa 
are  capable  of  appreciating  them,  to  that  extent  do 
they  relegate  them  to  the  fetichism  and  voodoo 
worship  of  their  native  land. 

(327) 


328  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

But  the  religion  that  one  C3.n  feel  and  enjoy  and 
that  cripples  no  sense  of  enjoyment  by  the  rigid 
enforcement  of  an  iron-bound  decorum  is  the  reli- 
gion that  captures  the  African.  When  St,  Paul 
said  "we  are  saved  by  hope,"  he  uttered  a  senti- 
ment that  touches  the  lowly  sons  of  toil  at  every 
point  of  their  pilgrimage.  "There's  a  better  day 
a  coming"  are  the  words  of  an  old  refrain  that 
have  girded  up  the  loins  of  millions  who  were  just 
about  to  faint  by  the  wayside. 

When  the  Methodist  preachers  came  with  stir- 
ring songs  and  earnest  exhortations,  and,  above 
all,  when  they  followed  St.  Paul's  example  and 
told  a  thrilling  experience,  the  dusky  children  of 
Africa  surrendered  all  they  had  to  surrender  and 
became  Christians  of  the  best  type  that  they  knew. 
Shall  any  man  call  in  question  the  genuineness 
and  sincerity  of  their  profession?  Let  us  listen 
to  the  testimony  recorded  in  the  amazing  history 
of  four  millions  of  peaceable,  quiet,  and  obedient 
slaves,  exercising  the  most  sacred  trusts  for  four 
years  while  a  war  was  waged  for  their  emancipa- 
tion from  bondage  to  their  masters.  Let  us  hear 
the  testimony  of  wise  and  good  men,  thorough 
judges  of  human  character,  who  have  described 
the  virtues  of  these  humble  followers  of  Christ, 
and  have  acknowledged  themselves  debtors  even 
to  the  poor  slave  whose  faithfulness  enlarged  the 
blessings  of  God  conferred  upon  their  religious 
instructors. 

From  the  notable  persons  whose  memorial  can- 


Traits  of  Christian  Character.  329 

not  perish  from  the  earth,  we  shall  select  a  few  as 
examples  of  great  numbers  for  whom  we  can  find 
no  space  in  these  pages. 

First  among  the  witnesses  to  the  fidelity  of  the 
converted  African  we  shall  introduce  Bishop  Ca- 
pers. A  man  of  large  heart,  sympathizing  with 
the  poor,  the  lowly,  and  the  distressed  everywhere, 
his  philanthropy  had  a  practical  turn,  and  he  did 
more  than  any  other  man  of  his  time  for  the  reli- 
gious welfare  of  the  slaves.  From  his  pen  we 
take  the  following  sketch  of 

Castile  Selby. 

"  I  can  call  to  mind  no  other  person  of  our  col- 
ored society  of  that  early  day,  who,  of  nearly  Cas- 
tile's age,  was  estimated  as  much  as  he,  though 
there  were  some  very  worthy  men  among  them. 
The  weight  and  force  of  his  character  were  made 
up  of  humility,  sincerity,  simplicity,  integrity,  and 
consistency;  for  all  of  which  he  was  remarkable 
not  only  among  his  fellows  of  the  colored  society 
in  Charleston,  but  I  might  say  among  all  whom  I 
have  ever  known.  He  was  one  of  those  honest 
men  who  need  no  proof  of  it.  .  .  .  Just  what 
he  seemed  to  be  he  invariably  was — neither  more 
nor  less.  Add  to  this  a  thorough  piety  which,  in- 
deed, was  the  root  and  stock  of  all  his  virtues,  and 
you  will  find  elements  for  the  character  of  no  com- 
mon man;  and  such  was  Castile  Selby. 
Love  of  order  was  a  ruling  passion  with  Daddy 
Castile.     Not  only  was  the  house  he  lived  in  and 


330  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

the  few  inferior  articles  of  furniture  it  contained 
kept  in  order — that  is,  clean  and  to  rights — but 
there  was  order  in  that  old  tarpaulin  hat  and  well- 
patched  linsey-woolsey  coat,  which  marked  the  old 
cartman  as  he  trudged  the  streets  from  day  to  day 
with  his  old  bay  horse  and  well-worn  cart  hauling 
wood.  And  then  there  was  order  in  that  clean, 
unpatched,  but  still  linsey-woolsey  coat,  and  that 
blue-striped  handkerchief  tied  about  his  head,  in 
which  he  was  to  be  seen  at  the  house  of  God,  morn- 
ing, afternoon,  and  evening,  on  the  Sabbath  day. 
"  If  I  ever  knew  a  man  who  was  so  completely 
satisfied  with  his  condition  as  to  prefer  no  change 
whatever,  that  man  was  Castile  Selby.  His  dwell- 
ing might  have  been  better,  his  apparel  better,  and 
he  might  have  relieved  himself  of  much  fatigue 
and  exposure,  but  he  deemed  it  unbecoming.  On 
these  and  kindred  subjects  I  knew  his  feelings 
well,  having  had  much  conversation  with  him,  and 
telling  him  plainly  I  thought  him  wrong.  But  I 
could  not  convince  him,  while  he  satisfied  me  he 
was  governed  by  a  sense  of  duty,  the  fitness  and 
force  of  which  he  was  better  prepared  to  judge 
than  perhaps  I  was.  For  example:  Noticing  the 
meanness  of  his  clothing,  and  expressing  a  fear 
that  it  might  not  be  comfortable,  'No,  master,' 
he  said,  '  these  old  clothes  make  me  quite  com- 
fortable. They  just  suit  my  business,  and  so  they 
just  suit  me.'  Remarking  on  his  Sunday  clothes, 
that  he  might  improve  them  a  little,  'Ah,  sir,'  he 
answered,  '  don't  you  see  how  our  colored  people 


Traits  of  Christian  Character.  331 

are  turning  fools  after  dress  and  fashion,  just  as  if 
they  were  white.  They  want  somebody  to  hold 
them  back.  I  dress  for  my  color.  Besides  that, 
sir,  how  can  I  take  what  the  Lord  is  pleased  to 
give  me  to  do  some  little  good  with  and  put  it  on 
my  back? ' 

"  But  it  was  his  indefatigable  industry,  not  al- 
lowing of  a  reasonable  suspension  of  his  labors  in 
bad  weather,  which  most  frequently  induced  our 
most  friendly  disputes 

"  'Well,  well.  Father  Castile,'  I  would  say,  'out 
again  in  the  rain  with  that  old  coat !  Why  in  the 
world  will  you  expose  yourself  so  ?  And  are  not 
your  legs  swelled  even  now?  ' 

"  'Ah,  sir,  I  thought  5^ou  would  scold  if  you 
happened  to  meet  me.  But  no  matter,  master. 
The  rain  won't  hurt  me:   I  am  used  to  it.' 

"  '  But  it  zuill  hurt  you;  it  must  hurt  you.  And 
I  dare  say  those  swelled  legs  came  by  just  such 
exposure  as  this.  You  ought  to  be  at  home ;  and 
do,  pray,  now  go  home  and  keep  yourself  com- 
fortable.' 

"  '  For  your  sake,  sir,  I  would  go  home,  but 
several  families  are  looking  for  me  to  haul  them 
wood  to-day,  and  I  must  not  disappoint  them.' 

"  'And  who  will  haul  them  wood  after  you  have 
killed  yourself? ' 

"  '  I  won't  kill  myself,  sir.     I  have  been  used  to 
this  all  my  life,  and  use,  you  know,  is  second  na- 
ture.    I  never  find  myself  any  better  for  lying  up. 
But,  master,  aren't  you  out  too?  ' 
22 


332  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

"  '  Yes,  I  am ;  but  it  is  only  for  a  little  time,  and 
I  am  fully  protected;  but  here  you  are  regularly 
at  it  for  a  day's  work,  with  no  protection  from  the 
weather  but  your  hat  and  that  threadbare  blanket 
overcoat.  You  really  ought  to  go  home.  .  .  . 
You  can't  stand  it,  Father  Castile,  and  you  ought 
not  to  try  to  stand  it.     Do,  pray,  go  home.' 

"  'Ah,  master,  they  say,  "  better  wear  out  than 
rust  out."  There  are  too  many  lazy  people  rust- 
ing out  for  me  to  lie  up  because  it  rains  a  little. 
.  .  .  I  can't  help  working,  sir,  and  I  don't 
want  to  help  it.  It  is  the  lot  it  has  pleased  God  to 
give  me,  and  it  suits  me  best.' 

"As  the  infirmities  of  age  increased  on  my  old 
friend,  and  while  his  habits  of  continual  industry 
seemed  indomitable,  I  became  anxious  about  him; 
and  after  conversing  with  several  of  our  brethren, 
and  finding  them  of  my  own  mind  with  respect  to 
him,  I  determined  to  adopt  a  course  which  I  sup- 
posed must  prove  effectual,  I  told  him  that  while 
his  long  course  of  holy  living  had  made  him 
friends  of  the  principal  members  of  the  Church, 
who  shared  with  me  the  kindest  feelings  for  him, 
and  were  more  than  willing  to  provide  for  all  his 
wants,  it  placed  him  in  a  position  with  respect  to 
the  colored  society  which  we  thought  required 
both  for  himself  and  them  that  his  time  should  be 
differently  employed  from  what  it  had  been.  We 
were  fully  persuaded  that  it  was  our  duty  to  res- 
cue him  from  his  cart,  and  put  it  in  his  power  to 
employ  all  his  time  in  a  way  which  we  believed 


Traits  of  Christian  Character.  333 

would  prove  more  to  the  glory  of  God;  and  that 
was  (while  he  should  be  able  to  go  about),  to 
visit  the  sick,  aged,  and  infirm,  and  look  after  the 
flock  generally,  praying  with  them,  and  doing 
them  all  the  spiritual  good  in  his  power.  For  his 
comfortable  support  during  the  remainder  of  his 
life,  such  and  such  rehab le  gentlemen  would 
pledge  themselves,  I  would  pledge  myself,  and 
the  stewards  of  the  Church  would  see  that  he 
lacked  nothing. 

"  'Now,  my  old  friend,'  said  I,  'we  want  you 
to  sell  your  horse  and  cart  immediately  and  use  the 
money  as  you  think  proper.  You  shall  want  for 
nothing.  And  let  it  be  your  only  business  to  help 
all  the  souls  you  can  to  heaven.' 

"He  received  this  proposition  with  profound 
sensibility  and  many  thanks,  but  could  be  induced 
only  to  add  that  he  would  think  of  it.  It  was  just 
before  my  journey  to  attend  the  General  Confer- 
ence, and  on  my  return  to  Charleston  I  had 
scarcely  reached  my  door  before  I  saw  Castile 
Selby,  just  as  aforetime,  seated  on  his  throne, 
the  old  cart. 

"'Ah,  master,'  said  he,  'the  very  thing  you 
would  do  for  me  to  make  me  useful  would  hinder 
more  than  it  would  help  me.  It  would  make  some 
envious,  some  would  call  me  parson  and  say  the 
white  people  had  spoiled  me ;  and  nobody  would 
take  me  to  be  the  same  Castile  I  have  always  been. 
There  is  nothing  better  for  me  than  this  same  old 
cart.' " 


334  ^'^^^  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

Thus  far  Bishop  Capers  wrote.  Castile  died  in 
1849.  Of  his  death  the  SoiUhern  Christian  Ad- 
vocate says: 

About  the  time  Mr.  Polk,  ex- President  of  the  United  States, 
breathed  his  last,  there  was  to  be  seen  in  this  city  [Charleston] 
a  venerable  patriarch  among  the  colored  members  of  the  M.  E. 
Church,  South,  Ijing  on  his  dying  bed,  extensively  known  as 
"  Father  Castile."  He  has  been  for  fifty-seven  years  an  up- 
right, consistent,  and  useful  professor  of  religion.  .  .  .  lie 
has  been  honored  with  the  respect  and  confidence  of  every 
minister  of  the  South  Carolina  Conference  who  has  been  sta- 
tioned in  this  city  during  the  lapse  of  half  a  century.  Bishop 
Capers,  in  particular,  has  ever  felt  for  liim  a  warm  personal  at- 
tachment, well  deserved  on  the  part  of  the  patriarchal  class 
leader. 

We  remember  a  scene  we  witnessed  some  twenty-eight 
years  ago,  in  what  was  supposed  to  be  at  the  time  the  dying 
chamber  of  Dr.  Capers.  Given  over  by  his  accomplished  phy- 
sician. Dr.  S.  H.  Dickson,  surrounded  by  his  weeping  family 
and  nurses,  the  Doctor  had  spoken,  as  he  thought,  his  farewell 
word'^.  At  that  moment  Father  Castile  entered  the  room.  "  I 
am  glad  to  see  you,"  said  his  sick  friend,  "you  find  me  near 
my  end;  but  kneel  down  and  turn  your  face  to  the  wall  and 
pray  for  me."  Many  a  tear  fell  during  the  solemn  moments  of 
that  prayer.  Bv  what  the  philosopher  would  call  a  singular  co- 
incidence, but  what  the  Christian  resolves  by  the  first  principles 
of  his  religion  into  an  aiis-vcr  to  frayei\  the  Doctor  passed  the 
crisis  while  the  good  old  man  was  on  his  knees.  In  a  few  mo- 
ments he  said:  "  I  feel  better." 

Father  Castile  died  in  perfect  peace  after  little  or  no  illness, 
and  with  no  apparent  suffering,  in  the  eighty-eighth  year  of  his 
age.  A  funeral  sermon  Avas  preached  in  Bethel  Church  over 
his  remains  by  the  presiding  elder  of  the  Charleston  District, 
and  all  that  was  mortal  of  the  good  man  was  followed  to  the 
grave  by  a  large  assemblage  of  his  friends. 

In  the  city  of  Charleston  there  were  many  faith- 
ful negro  men  and  women  whose  lives  were  con- 


Traits  of  Christian  Character.  335 

formed  to  the  principles  of  the  doctrine  of  Christ. 
Prominent  among  these  was  one  who  was  popular- 
ly called  "  Maum  Rachel."  Of  her  and  other 
noteworthy  members  of  the  Church.  Dr.  A.  M. 
Chreitzberg  furnishes  the  following  notes : 

Her  name  was  Rachel  Wells.  She  lived  in  Anson  Street, 
Charleston,  and  was  a  member  of  Trinity  Church.  She  hap- 
pened to  a  severe  accident  while  coming  down  the  steps  of  the 
gallery,  which  laid  her  upon  a  bed  of  agonizing  pain  at  the 
very  time  that  a  number  of  the  ablest  of  Methodist  ministers 
were  in  the  city  and  a  great  revival  was  in  progress  at  the 
Church.  Bishop  Capers,  knowing  what  a  great  deprivation  it 
must  be  to  her  to  stay  away  from  the  exercises,  called  to  see 
her.  He  said  to  her:  "Sorry  I  am,  verj'  sorry  for  you,  Maum 
Rachel;  and  the  more,  that  this  sad  accident  should  have  hap- 
pened just  now,  when  we  have  such  good  meetings  every  night 
at  Trinity.  You  would  be  so  happy  if  you  could  be  with  us 
there." 

"I  hear  ob  de  meetin',  sir,"  she  answered,  "an'  t'ank  God 
fur  'em  fur  vou'  sake;  but  as  fur  me,  I  hab  no  need  o'  dem.  I 
couldn'  do  widout  Trin'ty  Chu'ch  'fo'e,  an'  while  I  well  I  neber 
off  my  seat  dar,  day  nvir  night,  but  since  dis  t'ing  come  'pon 
me  you  call  bad  acciden',  I  hab  no  need  ob  Trin'ty  Chu'ch. 
All  he  do  fin-  me  wid  de  meetin'  befo'-time,  he  do  fur  me  now 
widout  de  meetin',  an'  mo'e  too,  bless  de  Lo'd!  " 

"  Could  a  synod  of  divines,"  says  Bishop  Wightman,  in  speak- 
ing of  these  words,  "  have  set  forth  more  strikingly  the  true  doc- 
trine in  regard  to  the  'means  of  grace'  than  Maum  Rachel 
did.''  They  were  necessary  for  her  in  ordinary  circumstances, 
but  providentially  precluded  from  them,  the  blessed  Jesus  had 
a  shorter  way  to  her  than  by  Trinity  Church.  What  a  depth  of 
divine  philosophy  is  unfolded  in  the  thought,  so  clearly  con- 
ceived, though  uttered  in  broken  English!" 

Maum  Rachel  was,  at  the  time  of  her  death,  the  oldest  mem- 
ber of  the  Charleston  Methodist  Church,  white  or  colored. 
She  was  the  first  colored  member  who  joined  the  Society,  at  the 
time  when  the  first  regular  meetings  were  held  at  the  house  of 
her  master,  Mr.  Edgar  Wells.     She  saw  the  foundation  laid  of 


33^  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

the  First  Cumberland  Street  Church,  a  year  or  two  after  the 
close  of  the  Revolution.  She  outlived  two  generations  of  Meth- 
odists— "  a  beautiful  example  of  the  power  of  religion  to  make 
a  servant  upright  and  happy." 

Another  of  these  saintly  old  colored  women  who  adorned 
Charleston  Methodism  was  "  Maum  Mary  Ann  Berry."  Dr. 
Capers  gives  us  the  picture  of  her,  clear,  beautiful,  strong,  a 
picture  before  which  the  best  of  us  feel  like  uncovering:  "I 
never  knew  a  female,  of  any  circumstance  in  life,  who  better 
deserved  the  appellation  of  deaconess  than  Mary  Ann  Berry; 
one  who  seemed  to  live  only  to  be  useful,  and  who,  to  the  ut- 
most of  her  ability,  and  beyond  her  ability,  served  the  Church 
and  poor.  And  I  might  say,  too,  that  what  she  did  was  always 
exceedingly  well  done,  directed  by  an  intelligent  mind  as  well 
as  a  sanctified  spirit;  so  that,  humble  as  was  her  position  in 
common  societ_v,  she  was  really  a  mother  in  Israel.  Her  meek- 
ness, her  humility,  and  a  peculiar  gentleness  and  softness  of 
spirit,  which  distinguished  her  at  all  times,  might  have  done 
honor  to  a  Christian  lady  of  any  rank." 

And  here  again  he  gives  us  the  picture — pen  painted,  it  is 
true,  yet  how  vivid  and  touching — of  Maum  Nanny  Coates. 
What  an  example  to  inspire  zeal  in  welldoing!  "Did  I  men- 
tion Maum  Nanny  Coates.?  Bless  old  Maum  Nanny!  If  I  had 
been  a  painter  going  to  represent  meekness  personified,  I  should 
have  gotten  her  to  sit  for  the  picture.  It  was  shortly  after  I 
had  been  appointed  Secretary  for  the  Missions,  that,  being  in 
Charleston  at  the  house  of  my  brother,  as  we  were  sitting  to- 
gether in  the  parlor  one  evening,  Maum  Nanny  entered.  I 
wish  I  could  show  her  to  you  just  as  she  presented  herself,  in 
her  long-eared  white  cap  kerchief  and  apron  of  the  olden  time, 
with  her  eyes  on  the  floor,  her  arms  slightly  folded  before  her, 
stepping  softly  toward  me.  She  held  between  her  finger  and 
thumb  a  dollar  bill,  and,  courtesying  as  she  approached,  she  ex- 
tended her  hand  with  the  money.  'Will  you  please,  sir,'  she 
said  in  subdued  accents  and  a  happy  countenance,  '  take  this 
little  mite  for  the  blessed  missionaries.? '  I  took  it,  pronounced 
that  it  was  a  dollar,  and  said:  'Maum  Nanny,  can  you  afford  to 
give  as  much  as  this.?'  'O  yes,  sir,'  she  replied,  lifting  her 
eyes,  which  imtil  then  had  been  upon  the  floor, '  it  is  only  a  tri- 
fle, sir.     I  could  afford  to  give  a  great  deal  more,  if  I — I  had  it.'  " 


Traits  of  Christian  Character.  337 

These  three  women  were  all  freed  bj  their  owners  for  their 
faithfulness  and  virtue. 

And  while  Dr.  Capers  was  writing  of  his  "  friends "  in 
Charleston,  Bishop  Andrew,  too,  was  paying  many  feeling  and 
beautiful  tributes  to  his  friends  in  Wilmington.  Writing  from 
that  same  Conference — the  North  Carolina  at  Washington — 
where  he  had  made  so  noble  an  effort  in  their  behalf,  he  says: 
"And  then  among  the  blacks  there  was  our  faithful  old  choris- 
ter, Roger  Hazle,  who  used  to  set  the  tunes  for  us.  I  have  his 
image  before  me  now  as  I  used  to  see  him  when  I  gave  out  the 
hymn,  rise  in  his  place  in  the  gallery,  hymn  book  in  hand,  and 
set  the  tunes  for  the  whole  congregation.  And  I  remember, 
too,  how  I  used  to  stand  in  the  pulpit,  weary  and  hoarse  at  the 
close  of  my  third  sermon,  and  when  I  gave  out  the  last  hymn, 
how  the  colored  people  used  to  sing  with  so  much  sweetness 
and  power  that  it  seemed  almost  enough  to  raise  the  shingles 
from  the  roof.  And  who  that  knew  Wilmington  in  days  of 
yore  would  fail  to  remember  in  this  connection  old  Will  Camp- 
bell, venerable  for  his  j'ears  and  greatly  beloved  for  his  consist- 
ent pietv?  His  record  was  on  high — he  was  an  honest,  guile- 
less, simple-hearted  Christian,  a  man  of  sterling  integrity  and 
unblemished  reputation.  And  with  these  were  associated  many 
others  of  great  worth  who  filled  up  their  humble  stations  in  so- 
ciety and  passed  quietly  away  from  earth  to  heaven." 

One  of  the  most  pious  and  devoted  of  these  colored  mem- 
bers at  Wilmington  was  one  Bishop  Andrew  does  not  mention 
in  this  letter,  but  who  is  often  referred  to  by  Bishop  Capers 
and  by  Mrs.  Margaret  M.  Martin,  of  Columbia,  S.  C,  in  her  re- 
ligious writings.  This  was  Uncle  Harry  Merrick,  a  figure  as 
prominent  in  the  Church  circles  of  that  place  sixty  years  ago  as 
any  in  it,  black  or  white.  He  occupied  a  front  seat  in  the  gallery, 
and  that  seat,  from  the  time  of  the  erection  of  the  church  build- 
ing almost  to  the  day  of  the  old  saint's  death,  was  scarcely  ever 
vacant  at  any  of  the  meetings,  day  or  night.  He  could  pray 
and  sing.  O  how  he  could  sing!  "I've  come  to  see  Jesus," 
and  "  Band  of  Music,"  could  ever  any  one  sing  them  as  Harry 
Merrick  did.''  Mrs.  Martin  speaks  of  hearing  him  after  he  had 
grown  very  old  and  his  voice  was  quavering.  She  sa^-s:  "  We 
have  a  delightful  choir  in  Wilmington,  one  of  the  finest  I  know 
anywhere,  and  generally  it  swells  in  its  full  tide  of  song  even 


33^  The  Gos;pel  among  the  Slaves. 

above  the  music  of  the  congregation;  but  at  that  time  you 
could  catch  it  but  at  intervals  of  one  single  note  of  silvery 
sweetness.  Much  as  I  love  fine  music,  I  confess  there  a'nd 
then  I  did  not  regret  that  old  Harry  Merrick's  dear  old  cracked 
voice  from  the  gallery  was  heard  above  all  the  rest.  Nobody 
listened  to  it  but  felt  there  were  notes  there  that  had  gone  right 
up  to  make  up  the  heavenly  diapason.  To  the  Christian's 
heart,  at  least,  it  was  '  harmony,  it  was  heavenly  harmony.'  " 

Harry  Merrick  was  a  power  in  prayer  as  well  as  in  song. 
Often,  while  the  white  mourners  were  at  the  altar,  he  was 
called  on  to  pray  for  them;  and  there,  kneeling  at  his  place  in 
the  gallery,  he  sent  forth  mighty  supplications  to  the  throne  of 
grace.  He  has  long  since  gone  to  mingle  his  buglelike  notes 
with  the  choir  celestial. 

Dr.  John  W.  Hanner,  a  veteran  of  the  Tennes- 
see Conference,  still  lingering  along  the  shores  of 
time,  furnishes  us  with  some  pleasant  notes  of 
"Aunt  Joycie "  and  others  among  the  African 
contingent  in  Tennessee  and  Alabama.  The 
manner  of  preaching,  peculiar  to  some  of  these 
sable  orators,  is  thus  described  by  Dr.  Hanner: 

In  1843  the  Tennessee  Conference  included  Huntsville,  Ala. 
Here  we  had  a  large  colored  membership  to  whom  we  regu- 
larly preached  and  administered  all  the  rites  of  the  Church. 
Some  of  these  negroes  were  very  intelligent,  and  many  of  them 
far  advanced  in  the  spiritual  life.  They  had  a  chapel  built  spe- 
cially for  their  use,  and  it  was  always  crowded  on  the  Sunday 
afternoons  of  the  regular  appointment. 

On  one  of  these  occasions,  going  to  preach  to  them,  I  found 
the  house  packed  and  running  over.  As  I  advanced  toward 
the  pulpit  I  saAv  a  colored  preacher  sitting  in  it.  He  met  me 
and  asked  permission  to  preach  that  time.  I  readily  consented, 
for  I  thought  it  advisable  for  them  to  hear  one  of  their  own 
race  occasionally. 

After  singing  and  prayer  the  preacher  began: 

"  I  don't  know  why  de  Lord  called  dis  unwordy  sarvant  to 
preach  dis  fun'ral;  but  I's  got  it  to  do.     My  tex'  is  in  de  River- 


Traits  of  Christian  Character.  339 

lation,  '  Behol',  I  stan'  at  de  doo'  an'  knock ;  if  any  man  open  de 
doo',  I  will  come  in  an'  sup  wid  him,  an'  he  wid  me.' 

"  I'm  gwine  to  preach  de  fun'ral  o'  Tom  Cook.  You  all 
knowcd  Tom  Cook,  how  weeked  he  war.  He  played  cards,  an' 
de  fiddle,  an'  danced,  an'  tole  lies,  an'  cheated,  an'  took  t'ings 
w'at  didn't  b'long  to  him,  an'  drunk  whisky.  Poo'  Tom!  he's 
dead  an' gone  to  hell ;  an'  his  wife's  dar  too!  I'm  gwine  ter preach 
boff  dere  fun'rals  to  wonct."  And  preach  them  he  did,  with  a 
startling  candor  few  would  have  had  the  courage  to  imitate. 

"I'll  tell  you  how  de  Lord  knocks,"  he  concluded.  "One 
day  I  was  gwine  to  mill,  an'  a  voice  spoke  to  me  from  de  sky: 
'  George!  George  Purdom!'  I  looked  up  to  see  whar  de  voice 
come  from,  an'  dar  I  seed  twelve  angels  standin'  roun'  de  sun. 
Ebery  one  had  a  watch  in  his  ban',  an'  ebery  one  say :  '  Twelve 
o'clock.'  Den  de  divine  power  come  down  an'  knock  me  cross 
de  full  lengt'  o'  de  big  road;  an'  I  saw  all  my  sins  go  down  into 
hell  like  a  gallon  pot  o'  black  dye.  You  sinner  man,  laughin' 
at  me  out  dere,  I  tell  you  de  day's  gwine  to  come  when  your 
laughin'll  be  turned  into  mournin'. 

"  In  ole  Virginny  when  de  rich  ladies  ride  out  in  de  car'age 
dey  take  'long  a  book  fur  to  read.  So  de  young  lady  open  de 
book  an'  a  voice  spoke  to  hej-  fum  de  book:  '  Your  gole  is  can- 
kered, your  silber  is  turned  to  dross,  but  de  lub  o'  God  shall 
Stan' forever!'  She  shut  de  book  an' begun  to  cry.  She  war 
mighty  rich.  She  says:  'Driber,  turn  de  car'age  roun'  an' 
dribe  me  home.'  Her  fader  come  out  an'  seed  her  cryin'  an'  he 
axed :  '  O  my  daughter,  w'at  is  de  matter  wid  you  }  If  you'll  quit 
dis  'ligion,  I'll  gib  you  a  bar'l  o'  gole  an'  a  bar'l  o'  silber.'  An' 
she  said:  'Fader,  de  book  says,  "Your  gole  is  cankered,  an' 
your  silber  is  turned  to  dross;  but  de  lub  o'  God  shall  stan'  for- 
eber." '  An'  he  begin  to  cry,  too ;  so  dej-  boff  got  'ligion.  Dat's 
de  way  dey  do  t'ings  in  ole  Virginny,  whar  I  come  from,  an' 
dat's  de  way  dey's  got  to  do  it  eberywhar  dey  gits  it. 

"  Now,  sinners,  you  hear  me;  if  you  don't  repent  an'  git  dis 
'ligion,  you's  gwine  to  hab  a  ram-shack-lin  time  o'  it  when  deff 
comes  fur  you." 

His  utterance  of  the  last  paragraph  was  vehemently  fervid, 
rapid,  and  loud,  emphasizing  the  right  words.  The  effect  was 
alnazing.  Like  the  trees  of  the  forest  when  moved  by  the 
sweeping   winds,  his  congregation   swayed  to   and   fro,  their 


340  TJie  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

heads  moving  from  side  to  side;  then  a  wild,  ringing  sliout 
burst  from  the  throats  of  fully  one-lialf  of  them.  Evidently 
there  were  many  wlio  had  tiie  religion  referred  to,  and  didn't 
need  to  fear  tlie  coming  of  the  pale-horse  rider. 

This  sermon  is  not  given  by  way  of  caricature,  but  as  an  il- 
lustration of  the  deep  and  Intense  fervor  that  so  often  swayed 
many  of  these  exiiorting  sons  of  Ham. 

Rev.  Elisha  Carr,  for  a  long  time  a  member  of  the  Tennessse 
Conference,  spent  the  last  years  of  liis  life  doing  little  else  save 
preaching  to  the  negroes  and  catechising  their  children.  Great 
is  the  debt  owed  him  by  this  race.  He  was  untiring  in  his  ef- 
forts to  bring  them  to  tlie  linowledge  tliat  is  in  Clirist  Jesus. 

In  the  days  of  the  old  time  camp  meetings,  seats  were  pro- 
vided for  the  negroes  back  of  the  stand.  One  night,  the  ser- 
mon preaclied  and  mourners  called.  Brother  Carr  went  to  his 
work  around  tiie  altar  bearing  a  lighted  candle.  Seeing  a  young, 
spruce-looking  negro  looking  on  with  apparently  little  concern, 
Brother  Carr  said  to  him:  "Have  you  got  religion.'"' 

"  No,  sir." 

"Are  you  trying  to  get  it?" 

"  No,  sir." 

"  Do  you  wish  to  try.''  " 

"  Not  now,  sir." 

"  Then  hold  this  candle  while  I  sing  and  pray  with  those  who 
do  wisli  it."  And  he  held  it,  sw-eating  freel}'.  The  place  grew 
too  warm  for  him ;  next  night  he  was  a  mourner. 

When  catechising.  Brother  Carr  placed  the  little  darkies  in 
line  and  spoke  to  eacli  one  by  name.  After  the  usual  questions 
of  the  catechism,  he  often  put  questions  not  in  the  book.  He 
was  catechising  on  one  of  these  occasions  when  he  suddenly 
put  the  question:  "  What's  your  name.'"' 

"  Little  Ben,  sir." 

"  Who  made  you.''  " 

"  God,  sir." 

"What  did  he  make  you  out  of.''" 

"  Biscuit,  sir." 

"  What  did  he  make  you  for.?  " 

"To  eat  biscuit  an'  'lasses  an'  wait  on  de  white  folks." 

It  is  needless  to  add  that  Brother  Carr  soon  corrected  Little 
Ben's  notions  of  existence  and  dutv. 


Traits  of  Christian  Character.  341 

Sometimes  Brother  Carr  would  ask  questions  and  seem  to 
know  things  tlaat  would  startle  his  dusky  audience  considerably. 
It  was  this  apparent  knowledge  of  their  various  misdoings  that 
caused  them  to  regard  him  with  a  kind  of  superstitious  awe, 
and  to  declare  frequently  that  he  was  "  kin  to  dod." 

Rev.  N.  A.  D.  Bryant,  formerly  of  the  Tennes- 
see Conference,  but  in  later  years  a  resident  of 
Texas,  gives  a  number  of  anecdotes  and  reminis- 
cences of  his  ministerial  labors  among  the  slaves. 
Although  he  was  a  slave  holder,  there  was  no  prej- 
udice against  him  on  that  account,  and  his  course 
as  a  missionary  to  the  slaves  on  large  plantations 
was  highly  beneficial  to  the  humble  parishioners, 
and  to  their  owners. 

"  In  my  rounds  as  a  missionary,"  says  Mr. 
Bryant,  "  I  met  with  many  negroes  who  were 
constantly  giving  me  striking  evidences  of  more 
than  ordinary  character  and  ability.  Some  of 
them  have  since  made  their  mark  in  the  world, 
noticeably  Bishop  Lane,  of  the  Colored  Methodist 
Church.  More  than  one  of  those  on  my  missions 
afterward  made  preachers,  and  by  no  means  mere 
commonplace  ones.  One  of  the  best  negroes  I 
ever  knew  was  Emanuel  Mask.  I  became  ac- 
quainted with  him  in  1855  at  his  master's  house  in 
Fayette  County,  Tenn.,  when  he  was  a  slave.  He 
was  then  authorized  to  preach  the  gospel  among 
his  people.  His  master,  who  was  a  noble  man 
and  a  Christian,  and  who  had  for  years  evinced 
the  deepest  interest  in  the  salvation  of  the  negro 
race,  gave  Emanuel  a  written  permit  to  go  around 
the  country  and  preach  to  his  race.     This  he  did 


342  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

to  the  great  pleasure  of  the  people  everywhere, 
white  as  well  as  black,  for  Emanuel  was  an  ear- 
nest and  forcible  speaker,  and  even  the  whites 
listened  to  him  with  profit.  I  frequently  invited 
Emanuel  to  my  house  to  preach  to  my  slaves. 
Some  members  of  my  own  family  were  always 
present  on  such  occasions,  and  most  heartily  did 
they  bear  testimony  to  his  wonderful  ability  to  ar- 
range and  make  clear  his  subject,  and  to  the  apt- 
ness and  fitness  with  which  he  quoted  passages  of 
scripture. 

"Another  remarkable  negro  of  my  acquaintance 
was  Silas  Philips.  I  did  not  know  him,  however, 
until  after  the  war.  He  came  to  La  Grange, 
Tenn.,  soon  after  freedom.  He  had  enjoyed 
both  moral  and  reliijious  advantaijes  in  his  old 
home,  and  was  an  eloquent  illustration  of  what  the 
gospel  could  do  for  his  race  and  of  the  earnest  ef- 
forts of  those  who  had  sought  to  shed  the  light 
upon  his  way.  When  he  came  to  La  Grange,  he 
had  a  modest  sum  of  money,  with  which  he  pur- 
chased a  home,  and  at  once  entered  upon  his 
course  as  a  moral  and  useful  citizen.  His  fine, 
manly  conduct  soon  won  the  confidence  and  re- 
spect of  all.  He  had  been  taught  to  read,  and 
though  comparatively  illiterate,  could,  neverthe- 
less, expound  the  scriptures  with  great  clearness 
and  force.  He  soon  became  a  prophet  among  his 
people. 

"  Simon  Hunt  was  another  one  of  his  race  who 
deserves  more  than  a  passing  notice.     Simon  had 


Traits  of  Christian  Character.  343 

been  born  a  slave,  though  he  was  only  a  youth 
during  the  war.  Still  he  was  large  enough  to  re- 
member the  earnest  catechising  he  had  received 
from  the  missionary.  Many  words,  too,  of  the 
sermons  to  which  he  had  listened  had  taken  deep 
root  in  his  heart.  Simon  was  born  within  sis'ht  of 
my  house,  and  I  knew  him  from  a  youth  up.  He 
was  a  model  in  every  way.  Soon  after  freedom 
came  he  made  the  right  start  on  the  new  road  by 
joining  the  Church.  Shortly  thereafter  he  was  li- 
censed to  preach.  He  became  a  power  among 
his  people,  for  few  preachers,  white  or  black,  sur- 
passed Simon  in  native  eloquence.  Some  of  his  il- 
lustrations were  truly  astonishing.  He  could  sweep 
an  audience  as  the  wind  of  the  forest  sweeps  the 
leaves  that  bestrew  its  track.  He  had  a  fine  pres- 
ence, a  remarkably  fine  head  and  face,  but  what 
was  more  attractive  still,  he  deported  himself  with 
manly  dignity,  an  inbred  gentleness  of  manner  that 
none  could  help  but  admire.  Wherever  Simon  is 
to-day,  may  the  Lord  continue  to  bless  him  and 
make  him  as  a  second  Moses  to  his  people  I 

"My  pen  is  upon  a  subject  in  which  it  finds 
something  more  than  a  mere  pleasure.  Cheer- 
fully, heartily  does  it  bear  witness  to  the  many  fine 
traits  of  character,  the  real  nobility  of  soul  that 
distinguished  so  many  of  those  who  were  once 
in  so  lowly  a  position  among  us.  Tenderly,  too, 
does  it  linger  over  that  old  time  affectionate  rela- 
tion that  existed  between  so  many  masters  and 
their  slaves.     I  do  not  speak  at  random,  but  from 


344  ^-^^  Gosfcl  among  the  Slaves. 

experience  ;  not  for  the  sentiment  of  the  thing,  but 
on  the  part  of  truth.  By  inheritance  and  purchase 
I  owned  quite  a  number  of  slaves.  When  told,  in 
1863,  that  they  were  free,  only  ten  or  fifteen  of  my 
servants  left,  the  rest  remaining  and  working  as 
usual.  Considering  the  state  of  affairs  then  exist- 
ing, the  excitement  of  the  war,  the  commotion  of 
social  affairs,  it  w^as  a  wonder  that  many  more  did 
not  go.  The  conduct  of  those  who  remained  only 
stands  out  more  forcibly.  When  the  war  came  to 
an  end  and  freedom  was  universally  established, 
these  negroes  who  had  remained  faithfully  by  me 
through  every  trial,  came  to  me  and  said;  'We 
do  not  want  to  leave  you.  You  have  been  a  good 
master  to  us,  and  we  desire  still  to  serve  you. 
Furnish  us  with  land  and  mules,  and  we  will  work 
for  you  and  for  ourselves.'  This  was  done,  and 
well  and  faithfully  for  twenty-two  years  did  they 
carry  out  every  requirement  of  the  new  relation. 
It  was  only  broken  by  my  rem.oval  to  Texas." 

From  the  pen  of  Rev.  A.  P.  McFerrin,  brother 
of  Dr.  John  B.  McFerrin,  we  have  the  following 
anecdotes  of  the  family  altar  and  the  religious  as- 
sociations of  the  slaves  in  Christian  families.  No 
one  acquainted  with  the  Southern  people  forty 
years  ago  can  fail  to  indorse  the  sentiments  of  one 
whose  testimony  is  valuable  from  whatever  point 
of  view  it  m^y  be  considered: 

Another  means  of  grace  outside  the  preaching  in  the  -white 
churches  and  the  evangelical  work  on  the  plantations  was  in 
the  family  prayer  meeting.  There  were  many  religious  mas- 
ters who,  night  and  morning,  regularly  assembled  their  fami- 


Traits  of  Christian  Character.  345 

lies    and    also    summoned    their    slaves    to   prayer.      And    this 
brings  to  mind  an  interesting  incident  of  mj  boyhood  days. 

Old  Uncle  Dick  was  a  native  African,  brought  to  this  coun- 
try when  a  boy.  He  was  a  true  and  earnest  Christian.  My 
father,  Rev.  James  McFerrin,  who  was  a  member  of  the  Ten- 
nessee Conference,  had,  on  a  certain  morning  when  out  quite 
early,  occasion  to  speak  some  special  words  to  Uncle  Dick  con- 
cerning some  matter  that  had  not  gone  well.  It  was  not  a  seri- 
ous matter,  anyway,  but  Uncle  Dick  was  very  sensitive,  and 
had  become  highly  wrought  vip  in  his  feelings.  Just  at  that 
moment  the  summons  went  forth:  "Come  in  to  prayer."  Fa- 
ther read  the  scripture  lesson,  followed  by  a  hymn,  which  was 
always  in  the  order  of  family  service,  and  then  prayed  a  fervent 
prayer.  Uncle  Dick  was  so  deeply  moved  that  when  the  prayer 
ended  he  arose  weeping  and  almost  shouting.  Forgotten  now 
were  his  wounded  feelings  of  the  moment  before,  and  in  his 
deep  joy  he  almost  embraced  my  father.  Tbe  incident  reached 
every  heart  and  brought  the  utmost  peace  between  the  two 
principals  of  the  morning  scene. 

The  sounding  of  the  horn,  morning  and  evening,  was  the 
signal  for  all  to  come  to  prayer,  big  and  little.  Such  a  family 
life  as  this  was  sure  to  bring  about  the  most  beneficial  results, 
especially  where  both  master  and  mistress  took  a  direct  interest 
in  the  welfare  of  every  soul,  which  was  often  the  case. 

Mentioning  the  morning  and  evening  horn  blowing  calls  up 
another  touching  incident  of  an  old  slave.  At  the  death  of  my 
father,  when  the  estate  was  divided,  an  aged  negro  by  the  name 
of  Charles  fell  to  the  share  of  my  brother,  the  late  William  M. 
McFerrin,  of  the  Memphis  Conference.  In  time,  through  age, 
Charles  became  superannuated,  spending  the  evening  of  life  in 
and  around  his  quiet  cabin.  One  afternoon,  about  the  going 
down  of  the  sun  of  a  serene  and  beautiful  day,  Uncle  Charles 
stood  near  his  gate,  leaning  against  the  fence,  a  few  feet  from 
his  cabin  door,  earnestly  gazing  upon  the  heavens.  Suddenly, 
on  looking  vip,  he  cried  out:  "  Hear!  hear!  de  ho'n  is  blowin'!  " 
He  then  turned  slowly  toward  his  cabin,  lay  down  on  his  bed, 
and  in  a  few  moments  gently  breathed  away  his  life.  Had  the 
"  horn  "  called  him  from  earthly  prayers  to  eternal  praises  in 
his  heavenly  Master's  kingdom .' 

There  can  be  no  just  conception  of  Southern  slavery  with  its 


346  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

many  modifying  and  qualifying  influences,  without  its  qualify- 
ing adjective  of  doiiicsiicaiioii,  making  it  what  it  really  was,  do- 
mestic slavery,  with  rare  exceptions. 

A  native  of  the  South,  with  a  lifetime  lengthened  out  to  the 
allotment  of  man's  earthly  pilgrimage^  and  with  fair  opportu- 
nity of  forming  a  judgment  from  many  standpoints,  the  writer 
is  free  to  express  the  opinion  that  the  people  of  the  South,  taken 
as  a  whole,  white  and  black,  were,  prior  to  the  war,  the  best  to 
do  people  morally,  socially,  and  religiously  that  the  world  has 
ever  beheld.  No  people  of  equal  extent  of  population  and  like 
ample  surroundings  ever  lived  so  free  from  want,  starvation, 
inhuman  oppression,  and  those  grosser  iniquities  that  degrade 
and  brutalize  humanity. 

Next  to  wife  and  children  the  slave  owner's  sympathy  and 
concern  were  for  the  welfare  of  the  colored  members  of  his 
family.  Never  has  the  ownership  of  slaves,  as  held  by  South- 
ern masters,  been  so  sadly  misunderstood  as  by  those  unfamil- 
iar with  its  true  import.  No  intelligent  owner  of  slaves,  as  held 
in  the  South,  ever  conceived  the  idea  of  being  possessed  of  an 
absolute  property  in  the  life  and  soul  of  his  slave,  as  repre- 
sented by  some  whose  opinions  were  formed  simply  on  the 
vague  representations  of  such  as  really  never  had  a  true  con- 
ception of  the  reality  of  the  situation.  The  owner  held  propri- 
etorship in  the  product  of  his  slaves'  labor,  and  was  accounta- 
ble to  the  laws  of  the  land  and  public  sentiment  for  the  perpe- 
tration of  wrongs  inconsistent  therewith.  Duty  and  self-inter- 
est alike  created  a  felt  concern  in  behalf  of  the  slaves'  welfare, 
while  this  limited  ownership  was  the  surest  protection  of  the 
negro,  since  the  value  of  the  anticipated  services  depended  on 
the  health  and  prolongation  of  life.  Hence  healthful  and  com- 
fortable conditions  were  specially  looked  after,  and  prompt  and 
careful  nvirsing  afforded  in  cases  of  sickness.  Multiplied  thou- 
sands of  negro  children  were  brought  safely  through  the  crit- 
ical periods  of  childhood  and  youth  by  the  attentive  carefulness 
and  tender  nursing  of  the  mistress  of  the  household. 

Much  of  the  special  work  of  the  missionaries  of  our  Church 
was  in  behalf  of  the  slaves  of  the  large  plantations,  the  pastors 
of  the  regular  work  being  used  to  subserve  the  purpose  of  look- 
ing after  the  religious  welfare  of  the  domestic  portion  remain- 
ing in  their  midst.     But  in  this  respect,  as  well-nigh  all  others, 


Traits  of  Christian  Character.  347 

the  civil  war  made  an  end  of  the  old  regime;  and  no  thought- 
ful Southerner  would,  if  in  his  power,  restore  the  old  order  of 
things.  That  has  passed  away,  and  with  trust  and  hopefulness 
we  look  forward  to  the  new ;  for  the  appearing  of  those  better 
things  to  conic,  which  in  due  time  will  be  manifested  under  the 
guiding  hand  of  Him  who  makes  all  things  to  work  together 
for  good  to  his  trusting  ones.  Already  the  signs  of  the  horizon 
point  to  the  coming  of  a  betterment  that  far  surpasses  anything 
that  could  have  been  imagined  by  the  most  fervent  enthusiast. 
The  good  seed  sown  in  the  past,  amid  the  most  discouraging  sur- 
roundings, will  ultimately  show  their  fruits.  Sown  in  prayers 
and  watered  with  tears,  as  they  were,  such  sowing  cannot  fail 
of  its  harvest,  rich  and  sure.  The  old  system  of  domestic  slav- 
ery, so  harshly  criticized,  and  so  widely  blamed  by  the  outside 
world,  has  this  one  indisputable  sequence,  a  fact  evident  to  God, 
to  man,  and  to  angels— namely,  that  the  slaves  of  the  South, 
thus  developed  in  our  midst,  are  the  best  and  most  hopeful 
specimens  of  the  African  race  which  the  world  has  ever  beheld, 
and  that  whatever  elevation  the  African  world  may  e\er  attain 
unto  will  be  brought  about  by  the  instrumentality  of  these  same 
once  enslaved  but  now  enfranchised  people,  developed  and  still 
dwelling  in  our  midst.  The  question  naturally  presents  itself 
to  every  thoughtful  mind:  May  not  these  Christianized  f reed- 
men  of  the  South  yet  prove  the  indispensable  factor  in  working 
out  the  redemption  of  the  great  continent  whence  sprang  their 
forefathers?  "  By  their  fruits  ye  shall  know  them,"  saith  Jesus, 
and  behold !  here  are  the  fruits. 

Rev.  S.  M.  Cherry,  of  the  Tennessee  Confer- 
ence, contributes  some  interesting  notes  relating 
to  the  missionary  labors  of  Elisha  Carr,  the  ven- 
erable man  whom  the  negroes  were  accustomed 
to  say  was  "  kin  to  God." 

"  Sometimes  Brother  Carr  catechized  a  whole 
congregation  of  negroes,"  says  Mr.  Cherry.  "  On 
one  of  these  occasions,  after  preaching,  he  pro- 
pounded this  question:  '  What  was  the  name  of 
the  first  bird  that  Noah  sent  out  of  the  ark? ' 
23 


348  The  Gospel  mnong  the  Slaves. 

"A  gawky  boy  on  the  front  bench  answered: 
'  I  b'lieves  hit  war  a  jay  bird,  sir.' 

*'  'Wrong,'  said  Brother  Carr;   '  again,' 

"  '  I  thinks  hit  mout  er  bin  a  blue  heron,'  ven- 
tured another. 

"  '  I  see,'  said  Brother  Carr,  frowning  his  dis- 
approbation, '  that  you  are  guessing.  Now  I  want 
some  one  to  answer  who  knows  what  he  is  talking 
about.' 

"  Just  at  this  point  an  old  negro  in  the  back  of 
the  church  whispered  to  his  neighbor:  '  I  thinks  I 
knows.' 

"  Brother  Carr,  overhearing  him,  demanded 
an  answer;  whereupon  the  old  darky,  straight- 
ening himself  with  a  great  deal  of  consequence, 
boldly  asserted:  '  Dat  bird  war  a  turkey  buz- 
zard, sir.' 

"This  so  disgusted  Brother  Carr  that  he  brought 
the  examination  to  a  close  at  once." 

Dr.  T.  L.  Boswell,  a  man  of  commanding  in- 
fluence in  the  Memphis  Conference,  furnishes  a 
sketch  from  which  we  select  two  paragraphs,  re- 
gretting that  the  limits  assigned  to  this  work  will 
not  allow  a  publication  in  full. 

"  I  have  witnessed  many  affecting  scenes,"  says 
Dr.  Boswell,  "  between  Christian  masters  and 
their  slaves  in  the  old  slavery  times  in  the  South. 
One  case  that  I  specially  recall  was  that  of  Ned 
Davis  and  his  body  servant,  Dennis.  Dennis  was 
a  true  Christian,  pious  and  faithful.  He  had  been 
the  close   attendant  of  his   master  in  the  latter' s 


Traits  of  Christian  Character.  349 

wild  days  in  North  Carolina  and  other  places,  and 
had  had  to  follow  him  into  many  places  where  a 
Christian  man  would  not  voluntarily  go.  But 
Dennis  was  a  bondman  and  must  obey,  though  he 
maintained  his  Christian  integrity  at  all  times. 
"When  I  knew  master  and  servant  together  at  La 
Grange,  Tenn.,  in  1840,  Ned  had  become  reli- 
gious, and  I  often  saw  the  two  happy  together, 
shaking  hands  and  rejoicing  on  their  wa}^  to  the 
better  land.  Ned  often  spoke  of  the  sinful  ways 
into  which  he  had  compelled  his  servant  to  go, 
while  tears  of  regret  filled  his  eyes.  It  was  indeed 
a  goodly  sight  to  see  them  together  praising  God. 

"The  good  done  among  the  slaves  by  the  gos- 
pel was  manifest  in  many  ways  and  on  many  oc- 
casions, but  in  none  more  conspicuously  and  ben- 
eficially than  during  the  war.  Here  the  old  men, 
women,  and  children  were  left  without  any  human 
protection  in  their  midst  and  at  their  mercy.  And 
in  this  exposed  and  helpless  condition  I  do  not  re- 
member a  single  instance  in  all  this  country  where- 
in they  laid  hands  on  them  to  hurt  them.  And 
when  the  Yankee  armies  came,  carrying  away 
many  of  the  less  civilly  disposed  of  the  blacks 
with  them,  the  better  class  remained  to  work  for 
the  support  and  protection  of  old  master  and  mis- 
tress and  the  children  till  freedom  came." 

Rev.  T.  J.  B.  Neely  relates  the  following  affect- 
ing incident: 

Gambro  was  an  old  slave  owned  bj  mj  father.  He  was  one 
of  the  noblest  of  his  race.     In  his  hands  were  placed  great  re- 


350  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

sponsibilities,  and  in  no  case  was  he  ever  unfaithful.  Re- 
ligion was  his  theme,  the  enthusing  current  of  his  life.  At 
night  he  sung  and  prayed  in  his  cabin,  and  exhorted  his  fellow- 
servants  to  righteousness.  All  knew  Uncle  Gambro,  and  all, 
wherever  he  went,  honored  and  respected  him.  As  my  father 
stood  beside  his  dying  bed  old  Gambro  said  to  him:  "Master, 
you  have  been  merciful  and  good  to  me  and  Nancy,  and  I  want 
to  thank  you  for  it  before  I  go.  You've  preached  to  us  a  long 
time,  sir,  and  we've  seen  some  mighty  good  times  together,  but 
now  they  say  I  must  die.  I  feel  that  I  shall  soon  be  gone.  I've 
been  talkin'  to  the  Lord  a  long  time  about  this  matter.  I  have 
now  come  right  up  to  the  river  and  the  next  step — O,  my  Lord, 
ivhcre  shall  I  land.'  On  the  other  bank.'  on  the  glorious  bank.' 
Yes,  thank  the  Lord!  As  you  prayed  last  night,  sir,  he  ivtll 
raise  me  up  at  the  last  day,  and  I  will  be  satisfied  when  I  wake 
up  in  his  likeness." 

The  next  morning  he  lay  stretched  upon  the  plank  cold  and 
stiff  in  death.  The  neighbors  came  in,  both  v.hite  and  black,  to 
pay  the  last  tribute  to  the  grand  old  man  they  had  truly  hon- 
ored. He  had  fought  a  good  fight;  he  had  kept  the  faith.  My 
father  gave  him  a  Christian  burial,  and  with  loving  hands  we 
covered  him  in  the  clods  of  the  valley.  Dear  Uncle  Gambro! 
peace  to  thy  ashes,  and  a  blissful  immortality  when  we  shall  all 
be  raised  up  at  the  last  day! 

Rev.  W.  A.  Parks  furnishes  the  following  pleas- 
ing account  of  the  religious  influence  exercised  by 
the  white  pastors  over  their  colored  charges.  Mr. 
Parks  was  stationed  in  Athens,  Ga.,  in  1857, 
serving  a  large  and  flourishing  "colored  charge." 

"  During  the  first  revival  in  the  Athens  Mission," 
says  Mr.  Parks,  "about  one  hundred  were  con- 
verted and  joined  the  Church.  Among  the  num- 
ber was  a  sprightly  lad  some  twelve  years  of  age, 
the  slave  of  Prof.  Johnson,  of  Frankhn  University. 
Lucius  Holsey — for  such  was  the  lad's  name — was 
house  servant,  waiter  in  the  dining  room,  and  er- 


Traits  of  Christian  Character.  351 

rand  boy.  He  was  of  a  bright  color,  rather  small 
for  his  age,  quick  of  movement,  and  with  a  clear, 
penetrating  eye. 

*' Thirty  years  had  come  and  gone  since  the 
conversion  of  that  boy  when  the  North  Georgia 
Conference  was  in  session  in  Augusta.  I  was  ap- 
pointed to  preach  on  Sunday  at  11  o'clock  in 
Trinity  Colored  Methodist  Church.  I  was  greeted 
by  a  large  audience  of  the  most  intelligent  of  the 
colored  population.  Seated  in  the  pulpit  v/as  Hol- 
sey,  then  bishop  of  the  C.  M.  E.  Church.  He 
gave  me  a  cordial  welcome  to  the  pulpit,  for  he 
had  been  pastor  of  that  church.  He  was  to  me  a 
stranger;  but  I  was  not  a  stranger  to  him,  and  he 
greeted  me  as  though  he  had  been  a  lifelong 
friend.  He  closed  the  services  for  me.  After 
the  prayer  he  arose  and  addressed  the  congrega- 
tion in  about  these  words: 

"  '  I  must  be  pardoned  for  detaining  you,  but 
I  must  relate  to  you  a  bit  of  my  experience.  I 
was  converted  at  Athens  when  a  boy  about  twelve 
years  old.  There  was  a  great  revival  in  the 
Church,  and  many  were  converted.  The  gentle- 
man who  has  just  preached  to  you  was  the  pastor. 
He  preached  a  sermon  on  Sunday  morning  that 
sent  conviction  to  my  heart,  and  brought  me  to  see 
that  I  was  a  sinner  and  lost  without  salvation.  I 
went  away  from  the  church  with  a  heart  burdened 
with  sin.  I  found  no  comfort  in  the  company  of 
my  former  associates.  I  could  do  nothing  but 
pray.     I  prayed  as  I  waited  in  the  dining  room;   I 


352  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

prayed  as  I  went  to  and  from  the  post  office;  I 
prayed  all  the  week,  and  thought  of  little  else  but 
my  sins,  with  a  yearning  for  deliverance  I  cannot 
express. 

"  '  On  the  next  Sunday  morning  my  duties  were 
such  I  could  not  go  to  church,  but  I  went  at  night. 
I  answered  the  first  call  to  the  altar,  and  there  I 
wrestled  with  God  in  prayer.  I  had  gone  to  the 
altar  to  find  salvation,  and  I  was  not  willing  to 
leave  it  till  the  burden  was  rolled  from  my  heart. 
Finally  all  others  had  left  the  altar,  the  congrega- 
tion had  been  dismissed,  and  I  alone  remained, 
crouched  down  in  front  of  the  altar  in  an  agony 
too  great  to  describe.  All  but  a  few  had  left  the 
church.  Mr.  Parks  said:  '  Brethren,  I  think  this 
boy  will  be  converted  to-night.  Let  us  get  around 
him  and  pray  for  him.'  They  knelt  around  me, 
the  pastor  and  my  colored  friends.  Mr.  Parks 
led  the  prayer,  and  while  he  was  pleading  with 
God  for  my  salvation  the  Lord  rolled  the  burden 
of  sin  from  my  heart  and  heaven's  light  came  shin- 
ing in.  O  what  a  happy  boy  I  was!  I  have  had 
many  ups  and  downs  since  then,  but  in  all  my  sor- 
rows and  toils  in  the  ministry  the  Lord  has  been 
with  me.  I  still  have  that  same  light  and  joy  that 
came  into  my  heart  as  I  knelt  at  the  altar  of  the 
Athens  church.' 

"  Then  turning  to  me,  his  forefinger  pointing  to 
heaven,  the  tears  coursing  down  his  cheeks,  he 
said  to  me:  '  Brother,  when  you  get  to  heaven, 
and  the  blessed  Lord  places  a  crown  on  your  head. 


Traits  of  Christian  Character.  353 

I  will  be  one  star  in  that  crown !  '  Then  with  a 
heart  too  full  for  utterance,  and  in  a  tremulous 
voice,  he  dismissed  an  audience  nearly  all  of  whom 
were  suffused  in  tears." 

The  Rev.  Leonard  Rush,  of  the  Georgia  Confer- 
ence,  relates  an  incident  that  illustrates  the  liberal- 
ity and  fraternal  feeling  of  these  sons  of  Africa: 

"  One  of  the  plantations  I  served  on  the  Chat- 
tahoochee Mission  belonged  to  ex-Governor 
Hamilton,  of  South  Carolina.  When  I  took 
charge  of  this  place,  I  found  two  leaders,  a  Meth- 
odist and  a  Baptist.  The  Methodist  leader  was  a 
low  man  in  stature  and  the  Baptist  a  tall  one. 
The  name  of  each  was  Billy.  The}^  called  one 
'  Short  Billy'  and  the  other  '  Long  Billy.'  There 
were  four  hundred  slaves  on  this  plantation.  Long 
Billy  and  his  flock  held  a  certificate  of  member- 
ship from  the  Baptist  Church  in  Savannah.  When 
I  had  been  preaching  at  this  place  two  years, 
'  Long  Bill}^ '  came  to  see  me  one  day  and  said : 
'  Master  Rush,  I  have  heard  you  preach  two  years, 
and  3^ou  preach  just  what  I  believe,  and  I  and  all 
my  members  will  join  your  Church,  provided  you 
will  immerse  us  when  we  wish  to  be  baptized.'  I 
promised  to  do  so,  and  he  and  all  his  charge — I 
think  about  thirty  in  all — became  members  of  our 
Church. 

"  They  had  some  customs  on  this  plantation  that 
I  very  much  admired.  When  a  child  was  born, 
as  soon  as  the  mother  was  able  to  carry  the  child 
to  the  place  of  worship,  they  had  a  day  of  thanks- 


354  1^^^^  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

giving  to  God  for  the  preservation  of  the  mother, 
and  that  another  human  being  had  been  brought 
into  existence.  They  then  presented  the  child 
before  the  congregation  and  offered  it  to  God  with 
many  prayers  for  its  safe  passage  through  the 
v^orld,  and  for  its  eternal  welfare  in  the  world  to 
come.  When  any  one  became  a  seeker  of  salva- 
tion, if  it  was  a  woman,  they  committed  her  to  the 
care  of  two  or  three  of  their  most  pious  women, 
who  advised  her,  prayed  for  her,  and  led  her  on 
until  she  came  through  the  Spirit.  By  coming 
through  the  Spirit  they  meant  what  we  call  con- 
version. If  the  seeker  was  a  man,  two  or  three 
of  the  brethren  took  charge  of  him  in  the  like 
manner. 

"About  the  close  of  my  fourth  year  on  this 
mission  we  had  a  wonderful  work  of  revival,  and 
between  forty  and  fifty  came  through  the  Spirit. 
I  examined  each  of  them  carefully,  and  I  believe 
they  were  trul}^  born  of  the  Spirit.  The  day  I 
appointed  to  baptize  them  turned  out  to  be  one 
of  the  coldest  I  had  ever  known.  We  had  to 
march  a  mile  to  the  Chattahoochee,  where  the 
ordinance  was  to  be  administered.  On  leaving 
their  cabins  they  formed  a  procession  two  deep, 
the  leaders  in  front,  next  some  of  the  principal 
members,  then  the  candidates  for  baptism.  Be- 
hind them  came  the  other  Church  members,  with 
the  worldings  in  the  rear.  As  they  started  they 
raised  a  song,  and  how  they  did  sing!  They  sung 
all  the  way  to  the  river. 


Traits  of  Cliristian  Character.  355 

"The  day  was  beautiful,  the  sky  was  clear,  and 
the  water  as  clear  as  the  sky.  The  sun  shone 
with  noonday  splendor.  When  we  entered  the 
bed  of  the  river,  we  had  to  pass  over  a  bed  of  clean 
white  sand  before  Vv^e  got  to  the  edge  of  the  water. 
Here  Short  Billy  presented  his  candidates  for  bap- 
tism, and  then  Long  Billy  presented  his.  The 
latter  said:  'Master  Rush,  here  are  seventeen 
that  I  wish  you  to  immerse,  but  here  are  three 
sickly  ones,  and  it  would  be  unsafe  for  them  to  go 
into  the  water,  so  I  only  want  you  to  sprinkle 
them.'  I  went  through  our  baptismal  formula,  and 
then  arranged  all  to  be  baptized  by  affusion  in  a 
line  facing  the  water,  leaving  room  for  me  to  pass 
between  them  and  the  water.  They  then  all  knelt 
down,  facing  the  water,  and  I  dipped  the  water  in 
my  mission-horn  and  baptized  them  according  to 
the  rites  of  the  Methodist  Church. 

"Long  Billy  then  waded  out  into  the  water  to 
where  it  was  of  sufficient  depth  for  immersion, 
and,  standing  with  his  face  upstream,  offered  a 
very  devout  prayer.  I  then,  with  his  assistance, 
immersed  his  subjects.  When  I  entered  the  water, 
I  felt  like  I  was  on  fire  until  I  lost  all  feeling.  I 
then  had  to  ride  a  mile  before  I  could  change  my 
clothes.  I  very  narrowly  escaped  an  attack  of 
pneumonia  from  that  day's  work." 

From  the  pen  of  Dr.  H.  S.  Thrall,  of  Texas, 
we  have  these  pen-portraits  of  remarkable  negro 
Methodists  in  Texas. 

"In    1842,"  says    Dr.    Thrall,   "Austin,  Tex., 


356  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

was  depopulated  by  Indian  raids.  The  govern- 
ment returned  to  the  city  in  1844,  ^"^"^  ^'^  '^^^  i^^l 
of  that  year  the  writer  of  this  was  sent  there  to 
reorganize  the  Methodist  Church. 

"  When  I  arrived  in  the  city,  one  of  the  first 
acquaintances  formed  was  that  of  Rowan  Hardin, 
a  lawyer,  belonging  to  a  celebrated  Kentuckj'- 
family  of  Methodists.  Mr.  Hardin  informed  me 
that  the  only  religious  services  held  in  the  city,  of 
which  he  had  heard,  were  those  by  a  colored 
preacher  named  Nace  Duval,  a  slave  of  the  Duval 
family. 

"  Nace  was  an  excellent  Christian,  with  consid- 
erable preaching  ability.  He  had  collected  a  large 
class  of  colored  Methodists,  and  was  active  in 
visiting,  exhorting,  and  holding  meetings.  I  found 
him  efficient  help  in  my  work  among  his  race.  He 
had  considerable  influence  with  the  whites,  and, 
with  his  assistance,  we  built  a  small  house  of  wor- 
ship for  the  negroes.  It  was  located  on  the  hill 
where  the  colored  congregation  of  the  M.  E. 
Church  now  worships  in  that  city. 

"After  freedom.  Brother  Nace  removed  to  San 
Antonio,  and  organized  a  Church  for  the  colored 
people  in  that  city  in  connection  with  the  African 
M.  E.  Church.  That  congregation  now  has  a 
resident  bishop.  Their  church  is  on  the  west  side 
of  the  San  Pedro  Creek  in  that  city.  Their  patri- 
arch, Nace,  died  in  the  faith  at  a  good  old  age, 
universally  loved  and  respected. 

"  In    1848   the   writer  traveled   what  was    then 


Traits  of  Chrislian  Character.  357 

known  as  the  Washington  Circuit.  At  Independ- 
ence he  found  one  of  the  most  able  and  influential 
preachers  he  has  ever  met.  He  was  universally 
known  as  '  Uncle  Mark.'  The  planters  paid  his 
master  for  his  time,  and  he  traveled  extensively, 
preaching,  organizing  churches,  and  doing  an 
excellent  work  for  his  people.  About  that  time 
the  owner  of  Uncle  Mark  removed  to  the  West, 
and  the  planters,  unwilhng  to  lose  his  labors  and 
influence  among  their  slaves,  raised  the  money 
among  themselves,  and  purchased  him;  but  as 
our  laws  did  not  allow  of  emancipation,  he  was 
deeded  to  three  Methodist  preachers  in  trust  for 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South. 

"  In  1853  the  Texas  Conference  elected  Uncle 
Mark  to  deacon's  orders  as  a  local  preacher,  and 
Bishop  Paine  ordained  him  at  the  Conference  at 
Bastrop.  After  the  war  he  united  with  the  A.  M. 
E.  Church,  and  lived  to  a  good  old  age,  loved  and 
respected  by  white  and  black. 

"  I  once  heard  Uncle  Mark  illustrate  the  con- 
duct of  unstable  Christians.  '  You,'  said  he, '  are 
in  and  out,  joining  the  Church  and  backsHding. 
Bless  your  souls,  the  Lord  don't  count  you  in  the 
crop!  Youbelong  to  the  "  Drop  Shot  Gang!"  '  (a 
gang  composed  of  feeble  women  and  children,  not 
counted  as  hands  in  the  crop). 

"  On  another  occasion  he  was  preaching  against 
pride.  He  said:  *  You  think  a  poor  negro  has 
nothing  to  be  proud  of;  but  on  Sunday  afternoon 
give  one  of  these  boys  a  red  bandanna  handker- 


358  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

chief  and  white  cotton  gloves,  and  he's  as  proud 
as  Lucifer.' 

"  There  was  a  singular  depth  and  pathos  in  the 
good  man's  voice,  and  he  had  a  wonderful  facility 
in  illustrations.  At  that  early  period  there  was  less 
prejudice  against  colored  preachers  than  now 
appears  in  some  places.  Uncle  Mark  often  attend- 
ed our  camp  meetings,  and  certain  hours  at  the 
preaching-stand  were  given  to  the  negroes.  When 
he  arose  in  the  pulpit  to  address  his  fellow-slaves, 
numbers  of  the  whites  would  gather  near  and 
listen  with  profound  attention  to  the  old  man's 
eloquent  appeals. 

"In  1850  and  1851  I  was  stationed  at  Galveston. 
We  then  had  but  one  church  building,  and  on 
Sunday  afternoon  Ryland  Chapel,  as  our  church 
was  named,  was  occupied  by  the  colored  people, 
the  pastor  conducting  the  services,  which  usually 
consisted  of  preaching,  catechising,  etc.  I  found 
here  an  excellent  colored  society,  among  them 
some  truly  gifted  speakers.  Their  names  have 
escaped  me,  but  the  record  is  on  high.  One  of 
them  was  a  barber  who  hired  his  own  time  and 
who  kept  one  of  the  most  fashionable  shops  in  the 
city.  He  managed  to  have  a  good  deal  of  leisure, 
and  was  a  great  help  in  doing  pastoral  work  among 
the  negroes. 

"  We  soon  found  it  necessary  to  have  a  separate 
place  of  worship,  and  with  the  help  of  the  white 
congregation,  and  such  assistance  as  the  negroes 
could    give,    we    secured  a  lot  on  Broadway  and 


Traits  of  Christian  Character.  359 

built  a  small  church.  Some  of  the  happiest  meet- 
ings I  had  during  my  Galveston  pastorate  was 
with  the  colored  brethren  in  the  Broadway  Church. 
After  the  war  that  congregation  and  property  went 
into  the  possession  of  the  African  M.  E.  Church. 
There  is  now  a  commodious  building  on  that 
Broadway  lot,  belonging  to  the  A.  M.  E.  Church." 

From  the  pen  of  Rev.  Whiteford  Smith,  D.D., 
of  the  South  Carolina  Conference,  we  have  the 
following  account  of  a  famous  character  among 
the  colored  people  in  South  Carolina: 

"  I  first  knew  Sancho  Cooper  while  I  was  in 
college  at  Columbia,  S.  C— 1826  to  1830.  He 
was  then  the  trusted  servant  of  Dr.  Thomas  Cooper, 
the  noted  skeptic.  President  of  the  college. 

"As  our  first  recitation  in  the  morning  was  held 
at  sunrise,  the  students  were  in  the  habit  of  em- 
ploying some  of  the  servants  who  resided  in  the 
campus,  or  its  immediate  vicinity,  to  bring  them 
water  and  make  fires  at  or  about  daylight.  Sancho 
Cooper  was  one  of  these,  as  it  did  not  interfere 
with  his  duties  at  home.  Of  his  early  life  the 
tradition,  as  I  have  heard  it,  was  that  his  former 
owner  had  had  no  objection  to  him  except  on  the 
score  of  his  religion.  He  was  bitterly  opposed  to 
his  holding  meetings  and  praying  with  the  negroes 
on  the  plantation;  and  inasmuch  as  Sancho  could 
not  be  persuaded  to  give  up  his  conscientious  con- 
victions of  duty  in  this  respect,  he  was  threatened 
and  afterward  cruelly  punished  to  make  him  stop 
praying,  and  finally  sold  for  no  other  fault  but  this. 


360  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

"  I  have  heard  that  when  Dr.  Cooper  purchased 
Sancho  he  told  him  he  had  no  objection  to  his 
praying,  so  that  he  faithfully  discharged  his  duties 
to  him.  I  have  heard  Dr.  Cooper  speak  in  terms 
of  warm  approval  of  Sancho's  character,  and 
express  a  wish  that  all  the  negroes  were  like  him. 
As  far  as  I  ever  heard,  he  had  the  confidence  and 
respect  of  the  Doctor's  family  and  the  community 
at  large.  It  is  related  that  on  one  occasion  an  aged 
negro  woman  lay  dying  in  the  kitchen.  The  fam- 
ily was  greatly  attached  to  her  and  had  gathered 
about  her  bed,  smitten  with  deep  emotion.  While 
Sancho  was  praying  with  and  for  iier  she  became 
very  happy,  shouting  the  praises  of  God,  where- 
upon Sancho,  turning  to  them,  called  upon  them 
to  witness  how  happy  were  the  effects  of  religion 
on  an  old  negro. 

"  Sancho  was  class  leader  among  the  colored 
members  of  our  Church  in  Columbia  for  many 
years,  and  held  in  high  respect  by  his  pastors  and 
by  the  white  membership  of  the  Church  generally. 
His  honesty  and  truthfulness  I  never  heard  ques- 
tioned. At  one  time  he  was  at  the  head  of  a 
society,  composed  of  the  colored  members  of  the 
Church,  who  had  banded  together  for  the  purpose 
of  mutual  improvement,  and  also  for  charitable 
purposes.  They  met  once  a  week  and  regularly 
contributed  to  a  fund  called  "  the  poor  fund,"  the 
surplus  of  which  went  to  the  sick  and  aged. 

"  In  1832  I  entered  upon  the  work  of  the  min- 
istry.    In    1841-42  I  was  stationed  in  Columbia. 


Traits  of  Christicai  Characicr.  361 

Dr.  Cooper  was  then  dead.  I  found  Sancho  still 
one  of  the  faithful  leaders  among  the  colored 
people.  Gaining  his  confidence,  he  spoke  to  me 
freely  of  his  master's  death.  One  day  during  the 
Doctor's  last  illness  he  called  Sancho  into  his 
room  and  directed  him  to  shut  and  lock  the  door. 
He  then  pointed  to  a  large  quarto  Bible  upon  a 
shelf  and  bade  him  take  it  down,  Sancho  did  so, 
when  the  Doctor  told  him  to  keep  it  for  his  sake. 
He  then  spoke  to  Sancho  very  feelingly  of  the 
religion  that  faithful  old  serv^ant  had  so  long  pro- 
fessed— told  him  it  was  right  and  to  hold  on  to  it, 
that  he  had  known  what  it  was  himself  when  he 
was  young,  but  that  the  people  in  public  life  and 
high  positions,  with  whom  he  had  been  called  to 
associate,  had  been  the  means  of  leading  him  away 
from  it.  Sancho  went  on  to  say  that  Dr.  Cooper 
had  told  him  that  he  wished  him  to  kneel  down 
and  pray  for  him.  To  this  Sancho  objected,  on 
the  ground  of  his  unlettered  ignorance  and  inca- 
pacity to  pray  for  so  learned  a  man,  sajdng,  '  I 
am  not  fit,  master,  to  pray  for  so  great  a  man  as 
you,'  and  urged  him  to  send  for  one  of  the  min- 
isters then  stationed  in  the  city,  who  would  be  far 
more  able  to  talk  and  pray  with  him.  But  the 
Doctor  told  him  he  was  good  enough  to  pray  for 
him,  and  insisted  on  it  until  Sancho  complied  with 
his  wishes  to  the  best  of  his  ability.  Upon  Sancho 
further  urging  him,  he  asked  what  minister  would 
come  to  see  him.  Sancho  told  him  that  he  knew 
Rev.  William  M.  Kennedy  would  come.     He  said 


362  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

the  Doctor  finally  consented,  but  objections  were 
interposed,  and  thus  Mr.  Kennedy  was  never  sent 
for.  Thus  we  have  evidence  that  the  hard  and  un- 
believing heart  of  this  noted  skeptic  was  indeed 
melted  at  the  last,  and  there  is  no  doubt  that  the 
consistent  life  of  this  faithful  old  negro  had  much 
to  do  with  it,  else  why  did  his  master  so  cling  to  him 
when  the  dark  waves  of  death's  river  were  beating 
about  his  feet? 

"  Sancho  brought  the  Bible  his  master  had  given 
him  to  the  parsonage  to  show  to  me,  and  left  it  in 
my  possession  some  days.  He  treasured  it  highly 
and  had  determined  that  at  his  death  it  should  be 
given  to  the  library  of  Wofford  College.  But  in 
the  destruction  of  Columbia  during  the  late  war  it 
could  never  be  found,  and  is  supposed  to  have 
been  consumed  in  the  conflagration  of  that  city. 
This  Bible  was  said  to  have  belonged  to  Dr. 
Cooper's  father,  who  was  a  minister  of  the  gospel 
and  a  great  friend  of  John  Wesley.  I  heard  Dr. 
Cooper  sa}'-  that  he  had  known  Mr.  Wesley  very 
well  and  often  been  dandled  on  his  knee  when  he 
stopped  over  at  his  father's  house  on  his  travels. 

"As  an  instance  of  Dr.  Cooper's  kind  consid- 
eration of  Sancho' s  religious  feelings  and  devotion 
to  duty,  I  have  heard  it  said  that  on  one  occasion, 
when  the  Doctor  had  company  on  the  evening  of 
Sancho' s  class  meeting,  finding  that  Sancho  re- 
mained to  attend  on  the  house,  he  reminded  him 
that  this  was  the  evening  for  his  meeting,  when 
Sancho  replied  that    the    Doctor    had    company. 


Traits  of  Christian  Character.  363 

The  Doctor  answered  him,  '  No,  no  !'  and  insisted 
on  his  not  allowingf  that  to  detain  him  from  his 
meeting,  and  bade  him  go. 

"  Sancho  hved  to  a  ripe  old  age,  well  provided 
for  by  his  master,  who  had  left  him  an  annuity  in 
his  will." 
24 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

Memorials  of  Faithful  Slaves. 

MRS.  SUSAN  S.  McPHERSON,  of  Fayette- 
ville,  Ala.,  records  some  reminiscences  of  a 
Southern  plantation. 

"  I  used  regularly  to  read  the  Bible,"  says  Mrs. 
McPherson,  "  to  all  such  as  came  to  hear.  I  had 
stated  seasons  set  apart  for  this.  After  reading 
the  texts  I  would  explain  them  as  well  as  I  could, 
and  then  give  a  little  talk  touching  religion  carried 
into  the  daily  life.  Three  of  our  men  became 
preachers,  powers  for  untold  good  among  their 
people.  All  three  of  these  men  could  read.  They 
had  been  taught  on  the  plantation.  One  could 
consult  Dr.  Clarke's  '  Commentary '  on  any  subject 
he  desired.  He  could  write  also.  When  set  free, 
he  supported  himself  by  teaching  school.  I  also 
encouraged  my  children  to  teach  the  young  ne- 
groes how  to  spell  and  read.  Sometimes  we  had 
regular  schools  on  the  place,  at  which  the  young 
instructors  did  something  else  besides  merely //«y 
at  teaching. 

"We  had  man}--  trusted  family  servants,  who 
were  treated  like  anything  else  but  servants,  and 
who,  in  turn,  were  devoted  to  us.  I  must  tell  of 
one  of  these.  Her  name  was  Amanda.  She  had 
been  born  in  our  home  and  raised  up  there.  We 
(364) 


Memorials  of  Faithful  Slaves.  365 

never  thought  of  Amanda  as  a  servant,  much  less  as 
a  slave.  Hers  was  one  of  the  most  beautiful  char- 
acters I  have  ever  known,  black  or  white.  If 
ever  she  exhibited  even  the  least  inclination  to 
bad  temper,  I  never  knew  it.  In  her  disposition 
she  was  most  gentle  and  docile,  with  plenty  of 
spirit,  yet  yielding  obedience  with  a  sweet  and 
hearty  readiness  that  was  sure  to  win  all  who  saw 
her.  Amanda  came  as  near  being  a  perfect  hu- 
man being  as  I  have  ever  known.  She  was  posi- 
tively without  fault,  save  a  little  shortcoming  here 
and  there  that  could  not  be  said  to  amount  to  a 
fault.  She  was  coal  black,  not  a  particle  of  mixed 
blood  in  her,  a  truly  noble  specim.en  of  her  race. 
She  is  still  living,  a  courteous,  gentle  old  woman 
that  it  is  a  real  pleasure  to  know.  Around  her 
has  grown  up  a  family  of  children  whose  polite 
manners  and  good  behavior  is  the  remark  of  all. 
Such  negroes  as  these  are  a  blessing  to  any  com- 
munity. 

"Among  my  husband's  slaves  was  one  that  had 
been  brought  direct  from  Africa.  He  had  been 
taken  from  there  when  fifteen  years  of  age.  It 
took  him  a  long  while  to  learn  to  talk  so  that  we 
could  understand  him.  When  he  heard  of  the 
good  world  where  he  might  meet  his  friends,  old 
Jack  was  one  of  the  happiest  negroes  on  the  earth. 
After  he  was  converted  his  cup  of  joy  seemed  run- 
ning over.  His  religion  shone  in  his  face  and 
spoke  in  every  tone  of  his  voice.  Daily  he  praised 
God  for  having  sent  him  to  America,  where  he 


366  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

had  learned  of  things  so  precious  to  him.  When 
old  Jack  got  happy,  he  would  hug  his  master  and 
bless  God  for  having  placed  them  together.  Jack 
had  unusual  intelligence,  was  quick  to  understand, 
and  as  quick  at  retort.  Once,  just  after  he  had 
been  publicly  shouting  and  proclaiming  how  pre- 
cious he  had  found  Jesus  to  his  soul,  a  young 
man  looking  on  said  to  him:  'Jack,  don't  be  so 
certain  about  having  Jesus  with  you.  You  only 
hope  you  have  him,  I  guess.' 

"  '  Mr.  Thomson,  you  hopes  you  have  your  hat 
on  your  head? ' 

"  *  Hope,  Jack?  why  I  know  I  have  it  on.' 

"  '  But  you  can't  see  it:  it's  on  the  back  of  your 
head.' 

"  '  But  I  can  feel  it,'  returned  Mr.  Thomson,  a 
little  out  of  patience  with  Jack's  questioning. 

"  '  Yes,  that's  jus'  so.  You  feels  it.  Well,  Mr. 
Thomson,  that's  jus'  de  way  wid  Jack.  I  knozvs 
I's  got  my  Jesus  in  my  heart.  I  can't  see  him, 
but  I  feels  him.  O  how  I  feels  him!  Bress  de 
Lord !  bress  de  Lord !  '  And  Jack  went  to  shout- 
ing again. 

"In  1850  Jack  expressed  a  desire  to  go  to  Af- 
rica and  preach  to  his  people  there.  That  he 
might  have  the  wish  of  his  heart,  my  husband  set 
him  free.  He  also  began  the  preparations  to  send 
him  over;  but  when  the  time  came.  Jack's  heart 
failed  him.  He  couldn't  leave  his  family.  Of 
course  we  could  not  think  of  sending  his  family 
with  him,  for  Jack  was  quite  a  patriarch,  having  a 


Memorials  of  Faithful  Slaves.  367 

wife  and  twenty  children.  All  his  children  who 
grew  up  made  good  and  useful  men  and  women. 
Several  of  them  are  living  now  in  this  place.  They 
stand  well  in  the  community.  His  grandchildren 
and  great-grandchildren  still  serve  my  family. 
They  do  all  my  house  work  and  attend  to  other 
calls.  The  tie  that  exists  between  us  is  strong. 
Only  death  can  sever  it. 

*'As  to  Jack,  he  died  in  great  peace,  still  shout- 
ing forth  the  praises  of  his  Jesus.  His  master  had 
him  buried  in  the  family  burial  ground.  There 
he  sleeps  beside  the  generations  of  those  he  loved 
and  served  so  well.  The  attachment  of  these  old 
family  servants  to  the  old  plantation  home  was 
touching.  It  was  ahvays  hard  for  them  to  leave 
it;  and  when  fortune  or  chance  drifted  them  back 
again,  they  were  the  most  overjoyed  of  creatures. 

"  Some  time  after  freedom  one  of  our  old  serv- 
unts  who  was  at  a  distance  was  attacked  with  a 
lingering  sickness.  She  constantly  begged  to  be 
carried  back  to  the  old  home,  pathetically  protest- 
ing that  she  could  not  die  away  from  it.  At 
length  her  desire  was  granted.  Her  happiness 
was  touching  to  see.  The  last  words  on  her  lips 
were:   *  I  have  a  home  in  glory.'  " 

We  could  fill  many  pages  with  the  records  of 
faithful  servants  who  preserved  after  their  emanci- 
pation their  affection  for  their  former  masters  and 
mistresses,  proving  the  reahty  of  their  attachment 
by  testimony  that  cannot  be  doubted.  Within  the 
knowledge  of  the  editor  of  this  volume  there  are 


368  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

more  than  a  score  of  instances  in  which  emanci- 
pated slaves,  or  "  freedmen  "  and  "  freedwomen," 
as  they  are  called,  have  labored  for  years  as  hired 
servants,  taking  their  monthly  wages  to  eke  out 
the  small  income  of  their  former  owners.  Deny- 
ing themselves  of  all  the  luxuries  and  many  of  the 
conveniences  of  life,  these  faithful  negroes  have 
ministered  to  those  who  were  in  other  days  their 
masters  and  mistresses,  recognizing  the  debt  of 
gratitude  that  was  due  to  those  who  were,  under 
Providence,  their  benefactors  in  the  days  of  slav- 
ery. 

Many  instances  similar  to  the  one  recorded  by 
Col.  J.  J.  Stockwell,  of  California,  might  be  in- 
serted. This  one  is  of  a  peculiar  character,  and 
we  <rive  it  in  full: 

o 

In  the  year  1873,  owing  to  the  prevalence  of  yellow  fever, 
we  fled  from  Shreveport,  La.  Every  one  had  lost  his  head  on 
account  of  the  dire  scourge.  Friends  were  deserting  friends, 
and  even  among  the  members  of  the  same  family  cases  of  cold- 
hearted  desertion  were  known  to  have  occurred.  Against  so 
unprepossessing  a  background  the  example  of  faithfulness  I 
am  about  to  relate  stands  forth  the  more  luminous. 

In  our  flight  we  came  near  to  the  house  of  a  former  slave  of 
my  father,  Mary  Ann  by  name,  who  was  then,  with  other  hired 
hands,  working  on  a  farm  in  the  vicinity.  She  had  lived  with 
us  on  the  old  home  plantation;  had  been  kindly  treated  and 
brought  up  in  the  light  and  knowledge  of  the  gospel.  In  return 
her  heart  was  filled  with  gratitude  and  affection.  Few  white 
people  would  have  proven  it  with  the  heroism  she  did. 

It  soon  became  known  all  through  the  neighborhood  that  we 
had  been  exposed  to  the  fever.  In  consequence  we  were 
shunned  as  though  the  dread  plague  had  broken  out  among  us. 
No  white  person  would  come  near  us,  not  within  a  hundred 
yards  of  our  dwelling  place.     But  this  faithful  old  woman,  this 


Memorials  of  Faithful  Slaves.  369 

former  servant,  came  regularly  to  administer  to  our  wants,  and 
this,  too,  in  the  face  of  the  strongest  opposition.  She  came 
daily  to  bring  us  milk,  vegetables,  and  other  necessities.  But 
for  her  and  the  supplies  with  which  she  furnished  us,  we  must 
have  suffered  sorely. 

When  the  man  for  whom  she  was  working  heard  of  her 
coming  to  us,  he  harshly  forbade  her  to  do  so  again,  threatening 
to  discharge  her  if  she  persisted.  But  Mary  Ann's  faithfulness 
was  far  above  any  worldly  consideration.  She  continued  her 
visits  to  us,  but  now  chiefly  at  night,  bringing  her  small  tokens 
of  care  and  affection. 

But  this  was  not  the  only  instance  of  Mary  Ann's  faithful- 
ness. Several  years  before  this,  during  my  father's  illness,  she 
left  her  home  and  came  to  nurse  him,  remaining  with  him  to 
his  death.  I  have  known  Mary  Ann  on  several  occasions  to 
walk  twenty  miles  to  visit  us,  and  to  bring  us  such  little  pres- 
ents as  she  could  afford.  Through  the  varying  changes  of  life 
her  heart  still  clung  faithfully  about  those  who  had  been  con- 
nected with  her  and  who  had  been  good  to  her  in  the  old  plan- 
tation home. 

The  following  article,  from  the  pen  of  Mrs. 
Mary  Winans  Wall,  of  Louisiana,  makes  worthy 
mention  of  a  nobleman  of  nature,  whose  name  will 
be  perpetuated  as  long  as  goodness  and  generosity 
are  esteemed  among  men.  As  this  record  embod- 
ies the  subject  of  this  chapter  as  well  as  the  pur- 
pose of  this  book,  we  give  it  in  full: 

I  speak  from  experience  when  I  say  that  Southerners — many 
of  them — were  warmly  zealous  in  their  endeavors  to  promote 
religious  instruction  among  their  slaves. 

It  was  always  a  matter  that  lay  near  the  hearts  of  Methodist 
preachers.  Being  a  preacher's  daughter,  and  wife,  I  can  speak 
from  knowledge.  In  my  childhood  days  negro  servants  were 
considered  as  part  of  the  family,  and  treated  very  much  as  the 
children  were,  being  cared  for  and  directed  in  their  duties.  In 
families  where  I  Avas  intimate  the  servants  were  regularly 
called  in  to  prayers.     In  my  own  family,  during  the  absence  of 


370  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

my  father,  my  mother  would  read  a  chapter,  we  would  all  sing 
a  hymn,  and  then  often  she  would  ask  "  Uncle  Winter"  to  lead 
us  in  prayer. 

Judge  McGhee,  who  owned  hundreds  of  slaves,  was  very 
careful  to  have  them  regularly  preached  to.  His  son's  (Capt. 
George  McGhee's)  earliest  recollection  is  of  sitting  in  his 
nurse's  lap  and  hearing  preaching  to  the  slaves  in  a  large  room 
on  his  father's  plantation.  I  will  not  be  positive,  but  I  think 
that  it  was  a  bishop  who  preached  to  them  that  night.  I  was 
visiting  at  the  house,  and  I  remember  that  Conference  was  sit- 
ting at  Woodville. 

In  the  Mississippi  Conference  there  were  always  missionaries 
appointed  to  preach  to  the  blacks.  As  a  general  thing  they 
were  favorably  received  and  encouraged  in  their  labors.  Some 
of  the  planters,  however,  did  not  want  their  negroes  preached 
to,  fearing  abolition  teaching. 

At  old  Midway  Church,  in  Wilkinson  County,  Miss.,  there 
was  a  part  of  the  building  that  was  especially  set  apart  for  the 
negroes,  and  they  often  outnumbered  the  whites.  They  heard 
just  the  same  gospel,  and  had  the  same  sacraments  that  the 
whites  had.  This  was  from  iSi8  to  1S40.  Slowly  things 
changed.  The  abolition  excitement,  then  at  white  heat,  com- 
bined with  other  things,  began  to  tell,  and  the  patriarchal  sys- 
tem of  domestic  slavery  reached  its  decline.  Yet  the  mission- 
aries, despite  the  cold  shoulder  often  turned  upon  them,  went 
from  plantation  to  plantation  preaching  and  teaching.  Nobler 
and  grander  soldiers  of  the  cross  Avere  never  found.  They 
counted  no  sacrifice  too  great  in  their  Godlike  efforts  to  advance 
this  lowly  work.  Let  the  Church  honor  their  memory,  and 
keep  it  green  forever. 

A  gentleman  in  West  Feliciana,  La.,  who  was  not  a  Chris- 
tian, asked  for  a  preacher  for  his  slaves.  He  said:  "I  do  not 
wish  to  see  my  negroes  die  without  religious  training."  He 
voiced  the  sentiment  of  many  who  were  nonreligious  them- 
selves. 

At  Clinton,  La.,  where  I  moved  after  marriage,  there  was  a 
large  congregation  and  membership  of  colored  people.  They 
were  regularly  preached  to  on  Sunday  afternoon.  They  met 
at  2:30  o'clock,  and  were  a  neatly  dressed,  good-looking,  and 
contented    people.     Sometimes  a  white  minister  preached    to 


Memorials  of  Faithful  Slaves.  371 

them,  and  again  one  of  their  own  color.  Tlie  law  was  then 
that  a  white  person  must  be  present  during  the  services  I 
have  often  sat  and  listened  to  their  exercises,  when  my  husband 
was  away. 

I  always  tried  to  teach  the  colored  children,  as  my  mother 
had  done  before  me.  After  I  came  to  Clinton  I  established  a 
Sunday  school  for  them  that  was  always  well  attended.  It  was 
at  that  time  not  a  very  popular  thing  to  do,  but  I  persevered. 
I  could  afford  to  do  so,  as  I  had  influential  friends  to  defend  my 
course.  I  had  one  lady  to  say  to  me,  "  I  can't  help  believing 
you  are  an  abolitionist,"  and  all  because  I  was  simply  making 
an  effort  for  the  souls  of  these  black  ci-eatures.  Even  my  own 
sons  were  against  me,  or  that  is  against  the  work.  One  of  them 
used  to  say,  nearly  every  Sunday:  "Mother,  let  those  negroes 
alone."  But  I  kept  resolutely  on  my  way,  despite  all  dissuasion 
or  opposition.  I  had  blessed  help  in  the  work.  Sometimes 
Mrs.  Judge  McVea  and  Mrs.  Lucy  Barton  helped  me.  One 
sweet  young  girl  helped  me  for  awhile,  but  her  uncle  made 
her  quit  it. 

There  are  two  colored  ministers  who  claim  me  as  their  theo- 
logical instructress.  As  they  are  exceptionally  intelligent  and 
pious,  it  is  no  small  credit  that  they  reflect.  One  of  these  is 
Blind  William  Nailor.  He  learned  every  word  of  Capers's 
"  Smaller  Catechism  "  from  me  and  nearly  all  the  larger  one, 
together  with  the  Creed,  many  hymns,  and  a  great  deal  of  the 
Bible.  He  is  now  a  minister  in  the  A.  M.  E.  Church.  He 
comes  to  see  me  at  intervals,  and  gratefully  thanks  me  for  the 
care  I  bestowed  upon  him.  Often  when  traveling  about  the 
parish  I  come  upon  those,  now  grown  men  and  women,  who 
jovfullv  recognize  me,  and  speak  to  me  as  their  former  Sunday 
school  teacher.  It  warms  my  heart  to  think  that  many  of  these 
have  gone  right.  But  there  are  some  who  have  not.  That 
worries  me,  but  then  I  remember  that  it  is  the  way  of  the  world 
ever:  all  who  are  taught,  never  mind  how  conscientiously  or 
well,  do  not  do  right. 

I  have  seen  consistent  lives  among  some  colored  people  who 
did  not  join  the  Church.  One  of  the  most  faithful  people  I 
ever  knew  was  "  Uncle  Toney."  He  could  not  be  induced  to 
join  the  Church,  and  yet  he  was  in  every  way  to  be  trusted. 
His  father  was  an  African,  surrounded  by  all  the  dark  super- 


372  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

stitions  of  his  race,  and  I  have  often  wondered  if  he  were  not 
the  cause  of  his  son's  refusal  to  come  into  the  Church.  But  I 
think  Tonej  tiaed  to  live  right.  When  dying  he  made  this 
answer  to  those  who  were  endeavoring  to  get  him  to  acknowl- 
edge himself  a  follower  of  Christ:  "  I've  always  tried  to  keep  up 
my  plantation."  Rev.  J.  C.  Burruss,  to  whom  it  was  repeated, 
said  that  was  as  good  a  confession  of  faith  as  we  need  wish — 
for  Toney. 

Some  of  these  old  time  slaves  were  a  pleasure  to  all  and  a 
blessing  to  their  owners.  Judge  McGhee  owned  a  man  named 
Charles.  He  had  manners  as  courtly  as  Henry  Clay — my  model 
of  manners.  He  had  a  nice  white  frame  cottage,  rode  a  horse, 
and  enjoyed  the  confidence  and  favor  of  the  white  people,  yet 
he  was  just  as  deferential  as  the  humblest  field  hand.  He  was 
worthy  both  of  love  and  esteem.  Always  on  his  return  from 
New  Orleans  or  the  North,  Judge  McGhee  brought  a  quantity 
of  supplies  not  only  for  his  family,  but  for  his  servants.  Once, 
as  they  were  spread  out  before  him,  he  said  to  Charles :  "  Charles, 
what  do  you  want  of  those  things.?"  "Well,  master,"  returned 
Charles,  "  I  would  like  some  of  that  fvirniture  checks."  I  have 
forgotten  whether  he  said  he  wanted  the  checks  for  a  spread, 
or  some  bed  curtains,  but  think  it  was  for  curtains.  If  Charles 
had  said,  "Master,  I  would  love  to  have  a  silver  mug,  or  a 
carpet,"  I  do  not  doubt  that  Charles's  wish  would  have  been 
gratified,  so  highly  did  his  master  esteem  him.  But  Charles 
was  the  humblest  of  creatures;  he  never  once  thought  of  such 
things  as  being  suitable  to  him.  He  was,  too,  one  of  the  most 
faithful.     No  one  ever  seemed  to  him  to  equal  his  own  folks. 

When  Gen.  Taylor,  after  the  Mexican  war,  had  a  reception 
in  Woodville,  Charles  was  in  attendance  on  his  white  people. 
Next  day  some  one  said:  "Charles,  what  do  you  think  of  the 
General.'"  Well,"  returned  Charles,  "he  was  well  enough, but 
I  did  not  see  ^wy  gentleman  who  came  up  to  the  Judged 

I  kept  faithfully  to  my  class  in  the  Sunday  school  till  freedom 
came.  Twenty  years  in  all  had  I  faithfully  devoted  to  them, 
and  it  pained  me  to  see  the  readiness  with  which  they  left  me, 
vmtil  only  seven  were  left.  William  Nailor  stood  steadfastly 
by  the  Church  into  which  I  had  brought  him,  until  that  Church 
made  separate  provision  for  its  colored  members,  when  he 
entered  the  A.  M.  E.  Cliurch. 


Memorials  of  Faithful  Slaves.  373 

Not  unfrequently  the  missionary  to  the  slaves 
was  called  upon  to  follow  the  example  of  St.  Paul 
in  returning  a  runaway  slave  to  his  master.  One 
instance  of  this  kind  Mrs.  Lizzie  T.  Gulick,  of 
Texas,  relates.  She  was  the  daughter  of  Rev. 
John  W.  Talley,  of  the  Georgia  Conference,  who 
was  for  many  years  distinguished  for  his  labors 
among  the  negroes. 

"  One  morning,"  says  Mrs.  Gulick,  "  our  old 
nurse  came  in  and  told  brother  and  me  that  there 
was  a  runaway  negro  in  the  kitchen.  With  fear 
and  trembling  we  went  out  to  see  him.  His  clothes 
were  in  rags  and  his  head  and  feet  were  bare.  He 
sent  a  message  by  us  to  father.  He  was  engaged, 
but  returned  a  message  to  the  negro  that  he  would 
see  him  after  awhile.  In  the  meantime,  he  told 
us  to  see  that  the  cook  gave  the  poor  fellow  some 
hot  coffee  and  a  good  breakfast. 

"  I  saw  tears  on  the  negro's  black  face,  but  his 
eyes  brightened  as  soon  as  my  father  appeared. 
He  had  heard  my  father  preach,  and  many  times 
he  had  been  kindly  talked  to  and  encouraged  to 
make  a  brave  and  faithful  man  of  himself.  His 
story  was  soon  told.  When  angry  with  another 
negro,  he  had  been  insolent  to  his  master,  and  in 
his  passion  and  fright  had  fled  from  the  field  to 
the  woods,  where  he  had  remained  hidden  ever 
since,  living  as  best  he  could.  Now  he  wanted  to 
go  home  to  his  master,  but  he  was  afraid  to  go 
alone.  In  his  loneliness  his  heart  turned  to  the 
good,  kind  preacher.     He  had  no  other  friend  who 


374  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

could  go  with  him  to  his  master,  and  help  in  the 
task  of  telling  how  sorry  he  was  for  the  wrong 
he  had  done. 

«'  My  father's  heart  was  touched.  Soon  all  was 
arranged,  and  in  a  little  while  he,  with  the  rairiied 
runaway  negro  in  the  buggy  with  him,  was  on 
his  way  to  the  master.  With  a  little  intercession, 
the  master  was  soon  ready  to  forgive  and  forget. 
The  old  negro  loved  my  father  to  the  end  of  his 
life  with  a  deep  and  idolatrous  affection." 

Rev.  A.  D.  Betts,  of  the  North  Carolina  Confer- 
ence, furnishes  the  following; 

In  the  later  days  of  slavery  the  laws  of  North  Carolina  did 
not  allow  negroes  to  hold  religious  meetings  without  the  pres- 
ence of  some  white  person,  so  the  pastor  appointed  a  white 
class  leader  for  the  negroes  in  each  church. 

At  Zion  Church,  in  Brunswick  County,  we  had  a  large  num- 
ber of  negro  members.  They  requested  me  to  appoint  Brother 
W.  H.  Walker  their  class  leader.  At  that  time  he  owned  a 
small  farm,  had  a  nice  family  of  children,  and  owned  a  few 
slaves.  Some  years  before  lie  had  been  overseer  on  the  largest 
plantation  in  the  neighborhood.  What  a  tribute  was  this!  these 
slaves  choosing  for  their  spiritual  guide  the  man  who  had  for 
years  governed  them  on  the  farm ! 

About  the  middle  of  the  year  I  preached  on  Missions  at  ii 
A.M.  and  took  up  a  collection.  It  was  a  fine  one.  Among 
other  contributions,  four  persons  paid  twenty  dollars  to  have 
their  pastor  made  a  life  member.  There  was  the  usual  nvmiber 
of  negroes  present,  and  I  noticed  them  paying  very  close  at- 
tention. 

That  afternoon,  as  was  my  custom,  I  preached  specially  to 
the  negroes  at  3  o'clock.  At  its  close  1  took  up  a  collection  for 
Missions.  I  was  taken  greatly  by  surprise  when  the  negroes 
began  at  once,  and  in  fine  spirit,  to  raise  twenty  dollars  to  make 
their  class  leader  a  life  member  of  the  society.  In  a  few  min- 
utes it  was  done.     Brother  Walker  was  deeply  moved,  as  he 


Memorials  of  Faithful  Slaves.  375 

had   need  to  be.     Never  have   I  known  a  heartier  or  a  more 
honest  compliment  paid. 

Afterward  we  rode  to  Wilmington  and  had  our  certificates 
framed.  I  do  not  know  which  was  the  prouder,  he  or  I.  His 
hung  in  an  honored  place  on  his  parlor  wall  through  life.  The 
incident  related  needs  no  further  comment. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

Testimony  of  Prominent  Freedmen. 

THAT  the  missions  to  the  slaves  on  the  large 
plantations  involved  greater  risks  than  other 
stations  of  itinerant  ministers  will  be  conceded  by- 
all  persons  acquainted  with  the  facts.  The  rice 
plantations  especially  were  centers  of  malarial  in- 
fluence. Large  bodies  of  water  kept  stagnant 
upon  the  level  rice  fields,  permeating  the  soil  to  a 
great  depth,  filling  crevices  and  subterranean 
lakelets,  just  deep  enough  to  be  within  reach  of 
atmospheric  changes,  and  the  recession  of  the 
pent-up  mass  of  water  leaving  these  pools  and 
lakelets  to  welter  and  boil  in  the  summer  sun  with 
myriads  of  decaying  vegetable  germs  of  disease- 
producing  quality — these  were  the  conditions  out 
of  which  periodical  attacks  of  fever  could  not  fail 
to  come.  The  blacks,  accustomed  for  jjenera- 
tions  and  for  ages  to  similar  conditions  in  the 
tropics  and  on  the  seacoast  of  Africa,  were  hard- 
ened against  these  fevers,  but  the  whites  were  al- 
most universally  attacked  whenever  they  came 
within  range  of  the  deadly  miasma.  How  man}^ 
soldiers  of  the  cross  died  as  martyrs  to  these  fe- 
vers we  will  never  know.  The  yellow  fever  has 
its  times  of  visitation,  and  thousands  fall  while  the 
world  looks  on,  pities,  sympathizes,  or  mourns  the 
(376) 


Testimony  of  Prominent  Freedmen.        377 

destruction  of  human  life.  Heroes  on  these  occa- 
sions are  immortaHzed.  They  die  in  the  glare  of 
newspapers  and  telegraphs,  throwing  a  halo  of 
glory  upon  such  deathbeds.  But  from  year  to 
year,  one  by  one,  the  patient  itinerant  died  by  the 
wayside,  and  the  people  of  his  own  state  scarcely 
heard  of  it.  He  alone  knew  the  risks  in  venturing 
upon  the  work,  and  he  alone  knew  the  reward  of 
the  faithful  messenger  who  died  in  carrying  the 
Lord's  message. 

An  illustration,  which  is  one  of  more  than  a 
score  that  might  be  given,  will  be  found  in  the 
following  paper  from  the  pen  of  Rev.  John  W. 
Talley,  of  the  Georgia  Conference: 

In  1836  I  was  made  presiding  elder  of  the  Savannah  District, 
and  for  four  years  combined  the  duties  of  this  position  with 
that  of  superintendent  of  tlie  slave  missions  on  the  Savannah 
River:  Skidawav,  Whitemarsh,  Burnside,  Islands  below  Savan- 
nah, Back  River,  S.  C,  Ogeechee,  etc.  This  work  was  re- 
garded by  some  as  the  forlorn  hope,  by  others  the  field  of 
honor,  and  the  best  men  of  the  Conference  were  willing  to  be 
sent  there.  I  knew  and  loved  two  promising  young  men  who 
were  appointed  to  this  dangerous  work,  and  there  died  in  young 
manhood.  One,  Alfred  Beatty,  of  handsome  form  and  face,  of 
fine  intellect,  educated  at  West  Point,  gave  himself  up  for  this 
work.  The  first  year  in  it  he  fell  by  the  country  fever  and  left 
his  widowed  mother  and  a  devoted  wife.  The  other  was  a 
young  brother  by  the  name  of  Rawls.  He  was  a  remarkably 
saintly  youth,  and  devoted  to  the  work  of  the  Master.  The 
day  before  his  attack  he.  Rev.  James  E.  Godfrey,  and  myself 
went  from  the  wharf  at  Savannah  in  a  boat  to  the  plantation  on 
Back  River  and  north  end  of  Hutchison  Island.  On  many  rice 
fields  the  flood  gates  had  been  opened  to  the  putrid  water  that 
had  stagnated  under  a  burning  sun.  I,  Brothers  Rawls  and 
Godfrey,  in  a  four-oared  boat,  rowed,  that  Sunday  morning, 


378  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

over  the  putrid  water  from  the  rice  fields  to  Mr.  Smith's  plan- 
tation, and  returned  to  Savannah  Sunday  night.  That  young 
missionary's  work  was  accomplished;  the  Master  said  it  was 
enough.  He  had  nothing  more  to  do  but  to  lay  himself  down 
and  die.  Monday  morning  revealed  the  fearful  truth.  The 
physician  kept  his  own  counsel,  and  the  young,  saintly  Rawls 
suffered.  All  day  and  all  night  Brother  Godfrey  and  I,  as- 
sisted by  our  good  wives,  sat  by  his  bed  and  soothed  and  min- 
istered to  him  as  best  we  could.  One  short  week  he  suffered; 
black  vomit  ensued  and  his  death  was  imminent.  We  never 
left  him.  Young,  promising,  talented,  devotedly  pious,  an- 
other martyr  had  fallen  in  his  zeal  to  rescue  the  negro's  soul 
from  the  thraldom  of  sin. 

Who  will  write  of  the  dangers  and  sufferings  and  death 
Southern  Methodist  preachers  endured  in  preaching  the  gospel 
of  the  Son  of  God  to  the  negroes  of  the  rice  and  cotton  fields.? 

Brother  Samuel  J.  Bryan  was  an  angel  of  mercy  to  the  ne- 
groes on  many  of  these  plantations.  He  traveled  on  the  rice 
dams  from  plantation  to  plantation,  and  at  all  hours  of  the  day 
and  night  to  mitigate  the  sufferings  of  the  negroes  prostrated 
by  the  cholera.  The  owners  were  at  a  distance,  in  many  in- 
stances the  overseer  dead,  and  agents  and  physicians  too  fright- 
ened to  risk  spending  one  night  in  the  house  occupied  by  the 
cholera  patients.  But  Samuel  Bryan,  with  his  trust  in  God, 
knew  no  fear.  He  could  be  seen  stooping  over  their  prostrate 
forms,  ministering  to  their  wants,  and  helping  to  load  the  boats 
with  the  sick  and  frightened  negroes  whom  their  masters  were 
sending  to  high  pine  lands,  where  they  could  be  better  nursed. 
Again  he  was  seen  disbursing  the  provisions  the  affrighted 
owners  had  ordered  for  the  relief  of  their  suffering  slaves. 
The  owners  would  not  risk  their  own  lives  on  the  infected 
plantations,  though  the  loss  of  slaves  and  property  amounted 
to  a  loss  of  thousands.  But  Samuel  Bryan  and  the  other  mis- 
sionaries for  the  love  of  God  and  the  hope  of  saving  souls  were 
happy  in  tlieir  work  of  love  to  the  poorest  and  most  ignorant. 

Afterward  Rev.  Andrew  Hammell  was  superintendent  of 
this  mission  field,  visiting  it  often  in  company  with  the  regular 
missionaries:  Brothers  John  Davis,  Quillen,  John  W.  Rems- 
hart,  and  others. 

Then  Dr.  Lovick  Pierce,  in  his  time,  was  visiting  and  cate- 


Testimony  of  Prominent  Freedmen.        379 

chising,  from  plantation  to  plantation,  and  preaching  at  the  va- 
rious places.  Can  the  world  or  the  Church  produce  such  an 
array  of  men,  heroes  as  well  as  servants?  There  are  others, 
many  others,  I  have  not  named,  but  their  names  are  written  in 
heaven. 

That  the  negroes  of  this  generation  should  cher- 
ish the  kindhest  feelings  toward  the  whites,  and 
especially  their  old  masters,  is  perfectly  natural,  and 
we  should  not  be  surprised  to  find  utterance  given 
to  this  sentiment.  Bishop  Henry  M.  Turner,  prob- 
ably the  foremost  man  in  the  African  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  of  which  he  is  now  a  bishop, 
was  born  free;  but  his  wife  was  a  slave,  and  his 
first  introduction  to  the  people  of  Athens,  Ga., 
was  in  1858,  when  he  was  soliciting  money  to  pur- 
chase his  wife's  freedom.  Rev.  W.  A.  Parks,  of 
the  North  Georgia  Conference,  who  gives  us  this 
information,  could  not  state  whether  success  at- 
tended the  efforts  of  the  preacher,  but  he  testifies 
to  the  deep  interest  kindled  among  the  white  peo- 
ple by  Turner's  preaching. 

The  Rev.  Samuel  Leard,  one  of  the  most  use- 
ful missionaries  in  the  South  Carolina  Conference, 
received  a  letter  from  Bishop  Turner,  of  which  the 
following  is  a  copy: 

To  Rev.  Samuel  Leard. 

Dear  Father  in  God:  Language  is  inadequate  to  express  my 
pleasure  at  a  reception  of  the  letter  from  one  to  whom  I  owe  ^0 
much;  who  when  I  was  a  wild,  reckless  boy,  in  1851,  at  the 
camp  meeting  just  beyond  Abbeville  Court  House  S.  C,  opened 
to  me  my  sad  condition,  in  one  of  your  masterly  sermons,  and 
as  a  mio-htv  instrument  in  God's  hands  led  me  to  the  feet  of  a 
pardoning  Jesus. 

From  1851  up  to  this  moment  I  have  carried  in  my  breast  a 

25 


380  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

grateful  heart  that  God  ever  gave  jou  to  the  ministry.  I  love 
you  while  living,  will  love  you  when  dead,  and  will  love  you  in 
heaven. 

A  short  sketch  of  my  life  would  run  as  follows: 

I  was  bom  near  Newberry  Court  House  in  1833-34,  possibly 
1834;  went  to  Abbeville  with  my  parents  when  a  boy,  and  was 
bound  to  Mr.  Thomas  Jackson  (carriage  maker)  to  learn  the 
trade.  I  joined  the  Church  under  Rev.  Mr.  Crowell,  on  proba- 
tion, at  Abbeville,  in  the  latter  part  of  1S4S,  but  soon  went  to 
cursing  and  getting  drunk  whenever  I  could  get  whisky,  and 
was  the  worst  boy  at  Abbeville  Court  House  until  you,  at  Sha- 
ron Camp  Ground,  in  1851,  so  stunned  me  by  your  powerful 
preaching  that  I  fell  upon  the  ground,  rolled  in  the  dirt,  foamed 
at  the  mouth,  and  agonized  under  conviction  till  Christ  relieved 
me  by  his  atoning  blood.  I  was  licensed  to  exhort  shortly  after- 
ward by  Dr.  Boyd,  now  sleeping  in  the  cemetery  at  Marion,  S. 
C,  and  from  that  time  to  the  present  I  have  been  in  the  Master's 
service. 

I  went  to  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  in  1858,  was  admitted  into  the  itin- 
erant service  of  the  African  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and 
went  to  Baltimore  and  spent  four  years  at  Trinity  College,  with 
a  view  of  going  to  Africa  as  a  missionary.  But  the  war  being 
in  full  blast  disarranged  my  plans.  ...  I  have  preached  and 
worked  for  God  in  every  position  held,  from  the  day  I  gave  you 
my  hand  up  to  the  present.  I  am  a  poor  sinner  living  upon  the 
mercies  of  God,  and  would  be  thankful  to  be  remembered  by 
vou  at  a  throne  of  grace.  God,  however,  has  honored  me  far 
beyond  my  merits. 

God  bless  j'ou,  and  may  your  earthly  career  terminate  amid 
blessings  innumerable! 

Your  humble  servant,  Henry  M.  Turner. 

Bishop  J.  A.  Beebe,  one  of  the  bishops  of  the 
Colored  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  says: 

I  was  born  in  Fayetteville,  N.  C,  June  25, 1832.  My  parents 
were  both  slaves.  I  belonged  to  the  family  of  the  Beebes, 
whence  I  get  my  name.  I  remained  a  slave  until  I  was  about 
twenty-seven  years  of  age;  at  which  time,  my  owners  giving 
me  the  opportunity,  I  bought  my  freedom.  I  was  a  boot  maker 
by  trade,  at  which  trade  I  made  the  monf_\-  to  buy  ir.y  freedom. 


Tcsliiiioiiy  of  Prominent  Frccdnien.         3S1 

I  joined  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South,  in  1S49,  un- 
der the  Rev.  Mr.  Conner,  of  South  Carolina.  I  was  made  fully 
satisfied  of  my  spiritual  change  under  the  preaching  of  Rev.  Mr. 
Samuel  Frost,  in  1850.  In  1S51  I  was  blessed  to  have  the  pleas- 
ure of  listening  to  a  number  of  sermons  on  the  subject  of  sanc- 
tification  bj  the  Rev.  A  C.  Adams,  and  bj  the  aid  of  the  Rev. 
Mr.  Bobbit  and  the  Holy  Ghost  I  was  led  into  the  blessed  light 
of  the  indwelling  of  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord,  during  which  time 
I  was  moved  to  preach  the  Gospel  of  Christ.  But  owing  to  the 
condition  of  things  at  that  time  in  the  State  of  North  Carolina, 
I  could  not  then  do  so. 

In  1865,  immediately  after  the  late  war,  I  received  license  to 
preach  from  the  African  Methodist  Episcopal  Zion  Church.  In 
November  of  the  same  year  I  joined  the  traveling  connection 
of  that  Church,  and  was  ordained  deacon  by  Bishop  J.  J.  Clinton, 
and  in  1866  elder  by  the  same  bishop.  In  1S71  I  severed  my 
connection  with  the  Zion  Church,  and  joined  the  Colored  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church  under  Bishop  Miles.  In  1873  I  v.as 
elected  a  delegate  to  the  General  Conference  of  that  Church, 
held  at  Augusta',  Ga.,  and  was  there  elected  a  bishop. 

While  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Church,  South,  before  the 
war,  I  had  constant  opportunity  of  hearing  the  gospel  preached. 
We  had  regular  preaching  from  the  ministers  who  were  ap- 
pointed from  the  Conference  to  labor  among  the  colored  people. 
In  addition  to  this  we  had  the  opportunity  of  hearing  the  reg- 
ular preacher  to  the  whites.  On  every  Sunday  evening  oc- 
curred the  special  preaching  to  the  colored  people.  Then  the 
church  would  be  crowded  with  those  seeking  to  hear  the  prom- 
ises of  the  gospel  of  Jesus.  The  conversion  of  hundreds  of  my 
people  resulted  from  this  preaching.  As  to  myself,  I  hold  in 
dear  remembrance  the  blessings  of  those  days. 

Bishop  Lane,  of  the  Colored  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Church,  writes: 

I  began  to  seek  religion  at  the  age  of  twelve  years.  My 
owners  were  pious  and  religious  people.  My  old  master  held 
his  family  prayers  night  and  morning.  He  was  a  Methodist  of 
the  purest  type.  He  had  been  a  class  leader  for  fifty-eight 
years  in  succession      I  heard  preaching  from  the  time  I  can 


382 


The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 


remember.  The  missionaries  came  regularly  on  their  visits, 
and  my  master  made  every  opportunity  for  his  people  to  hear 
them.  He  was  a  good,  true  man,  faithful  to  God  and  his  obli- 
gations, and  I  pay  this  tribute  to  him  from  my  heart. 

In  the  year  1S54,  on  the  nth  day  of  September,  I  embraced 


REV.  ISAAC   LANE, 
Bishop  of  the  Colored  M.  E.  Church. 


a  hope  in  Christ.  On  Monday  morning,  while  in  the  field  at 
my  work,  I  was  made  happy  in  a  Saviour's  love,  and  joined 
the  Church  soon  after.  I  carried  joy  and  comfort  in  my 
soul  for  several  days.     I  felt  and  wished  that  my  poor  moth- 


Testimony  of  Prominent  Freed  men.         383 

er  could  enjoy  the  gift  of  saving  grace.  I  at  once  began 
to  pray  for  mother  and  wife.  But  the  prayer  offered  was  to 
myself  when  alone.  At  night  I  would  hold  family  prayer 
with  my  wife  and  mother.  And  in  those  prayers  the  good 
Lord  blessed  my  labors  and  brought  them  all  into  the  Church. 
After  my  old  master's  plan,  I  wanted  to  be  alone  at  noonday; 
so  one  day  as  I  was  seeking  a  secret  place  to  pray  I  was 
overcome  with  the  feeling  that  I  ought  to  preach.  I  strove 
for  months  to  get  rid  of  it,  but  all  in  vain.  I  went  to  my  old 
master  and  made  known  to  him  my  struggle  and  the  feeling 
that  was  then  strong  upon  me.  He  gave  me  his  sympathy,  and 
directed  me  to  a  certain  preacher  for  counsel  and  aid.  But 
this  man  did  not  believe  in  a  negro  preaching,  and  he  gave 
me  no  aid  at  all,  and  so  my  trouble  fell  heavier  than  ever.  I 
next  went  to  an  old  colored  preacher  whom  the  Methodists  had 
helped  and  were  friendly  to  his  exhorting.  He  was  a  pure 
Christian,  and  he  told  me  that  if  God  had  really  called  me,  he 
surely  knew  his  own  business  better  than  man,  and  for  me  not 
to  trouble  myself,  but  to  trust  in  God.  I  did  trust  him,  and  the 
inspiration  soon  came  to  send  in  to  the  Southern  Methodists  my 
petition  to  preach.  I  did  so  at  one  of  their  Conferences.  They 
did  not  refuse  me.  Indeed,  they  held  out  a  hand  of  help  and 
encouragement.  Rev.  George  Harris  was  the  presiding  elder, 
and  Rev.  A.  R.  Wilson  the  preacher  in  charge.  I  thought  then 
that  he  was  the  best  man  in  the  world.  My  mind  has  not  suf- 
fered much  change  vet,  as  he  is  now  living  in  the  same  town  m 
which  I  live,  and  he  is  the  presiding  elder  of  the  Jackson  Dis- 
trict. 

I  was  licensed  to  exhort  in  the  year  1856,  by  the  Southern 
Methodist  Church  at  the  fourth  Quarterly  Conference  on  the 
Jackson  Circuit.  I  was  called  on  often  after  that  by  the  white 
preachers  to  preach  to  my  people  on  the  Sabbath  evenings. 
The  white  preachers  all  respected  me  and  helped  me  in  every 
way  they  could.  Still  it  was  very  embarrassing  to  me,  without 
any  education  as  I  was,  to  preach  before  the  white  preachers. 
But  thev  were  kind  to  me,  and  seemed  not  to  notice  my  mis- 
takes. So  I  got  so  after  awhile  that  I  could  preach  before  them 
without  much  embarrassment,  such  preaching  as  it  was.  But 
God  helped  me,  and  wonderfully  blessed  my  work. 

From  that  date  to  1S65  the  white  preachers  and  I  held  meet- 


384  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

ings  for  mj  people.  We  had  glorious  meetings  and  many 
converts,  which  soon  made  our  country  famous  for  Methodism 
during  the  war.  But  we  had  stormy  times  at  some  places.  The 
old  days  of  the  beginnings  of  the  Wesleyan  movement  in  En- 
gland, in  Ireland,  and  Wales  had  their  reflex  in  these.  Many 
times  my  life  was  in  danger,  and  my  white  brethren  were  con- 
stantly persecuted  for  allowing  me  to  preach.  The  persecutors 
even  went  so  far  as  to  burn  down  church  after  church  because 
I  had  preached  to  my  people  in  them.  But  my  white  brethren 
upheld  me.  And  not  only  the  Methodists,  but  Christians  of 
other  denominations.  One  good  old  Presbyterian  brother  said 
to  me  after  I  had  preached  in  his  church:  "Brother  Lane,  keep 
on  preaching  to  your  people,  and  we  will  keep  on  building 
churches  until  the  trumpet  blows.  Let  them  burn  down.  We 
will  build,  and  you  shall  preach." 

That  was  the  spirit  in  which  the  Christian  whites  met  me, 
and  that  is  the  spirit  in  which  they  would  do  the  same  thing  to- 
day did  the  opportunity  offer.  I  pay  this  tribute  to  my  noble 
white  brethren  with  a  heart  warm  and  grateful  toward  them.  I 
Avant  to  see  my  race  in  unit}'  and  harmony  with  the  whites.  I 
want  to  see  peace  and  love  and  the  spirit  of  Christianity  pre- 
vail, and  not  the  vicious  doctrines  of  bad  men,  of  corrupt  poli- 
ticians, who  have  only  their  own  ends  to  serve,  and  in  serving 
them  care  naught  for  the  negro's  welfare  nor  for  his  soul. 

Among  the  excellent  men  elected  bishops  of  the 
Colored  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  set  apart  in 
1870  as  an  organization  distinct  from  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  South,  Bishop  Lewis  H.  Holsey 
occupies  a  prominent  position.  He  contributes  to 
these  pages  the  following  interesting  paper: 

I  was  born  in  1842  near  Columbus,  Ga.,and  mainly  reared  in 
Sparta,  Hancock  County,  Ga.  In  185S  my  owners  moved  to 
Athens,  Ga.  During  the  first  months  of  this  year  (1858)  I  made 
up  my  mind  that  I  would  learn  to  read,  so  that  I  could  read  the 
Bible.  To  accomplish  this  coveted  end  I  stopped  going  visit- 
ing at  night,  and  devoted  all  my  spare  time  to  my  spelling  book. 
In  those  days  "the  old  Webster  blue-back  speller"  was  the  only 


Testimony  of  Prominent  Frccdmcn.        385 

spelling  book  used,  so  far  as  my  knowledge  goes.  I  bought  two 
of  these  little  books,  one  of  which  I  tore  into  leaves.  Each  day 
while  engaged  in  my  work  I  studied  from  a  single  leaf  taken 
from  my  speller,  so  folding  the  leaf  that  a  lesson  or  two  was  on 
the  outside  of  the  fold.     When  night  came  on,  and  I  had  fin- 


REV.  LEWIS    H.   HOLSEY, 
Bishop  of  the  Colored  M.  E.  Church. 


ished  my  labor  about  the  house  and  yard,  I  went  to  my  sleep- 
ing apartment,  and  there  on  my  back,  with  head  toward  the 
fireplace,  I  took  down  my  whole  speller,  going  over  and  re- 
viewing the  lessons  that  I  had  studied  during  the  day  from  the 


386  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

folded  leaf.  My  light  was  made  bj  burning  fat  pine  wood 
chipped  from  old  roots  and  stumps  that  stood  in  the  yard  and 
garden. 

I  learned  the  alphabet  by  hearing  the  white  children  repeat 
it.  Eeing  in  earnest  and  industrious  along  this  line,  I  learned 
to  read  the  Old  and  New  Testaments  in  six  months,  besides 
learning  to  write  and  commit  to  memory  many  passages  of  the 
blessed  word  of  God.  From  reading  the  word  of  God,  and 
hearing  it  expounded  by  the  preacher,  I  made  up  my  mind  to 
be  a  Christian.  That  year  (1858)  Rev.  W.  A.  Parks  was  sent  to 
Athens  as  pastor  to  the  colored  people.  It  was  during  the 
months  of  April  and  May  that  he  had  a  revival  meeting  in 
which  one  hundred  colored  persons  were  converted  and  added 
to  the  Church,  many  of  whom  lived  exemplary  lives,  demon- 
strating the  power  of  a  vital  Christianity. 

I  had  been  praying  some  time  before  this  meeting,  but  with 
no  firm  and  decided  conviction  that  I  would  seek  religion  in 
earnest.  I  went  to  church  one  Sunday,  and  Brother  Parks 
preached  from  the  text:  "Friend,  how  cometh  thou  in  hith- 
er, not  having  on  the  wedding  garment.?"  As  the  glowing 
words  fell  from  his  mouth  they  seemed  as  arrows  piercing  my 
heart  and  soul,  and  my  frame  quivered  with  fear.  I  felt  as  if 
the  Jesus  of  whom  he  spake  was  talking  to  me  with  his  own 
thrilling  accents.  At  the  close  of  his  sermon  he  invited  seek- 
ers to  the  altar  for  prayer.  My  feeling  was  indescribable. 
Must  I  go  or  must  I  stay.''  was  the  momentous  question  that 
my  spirit  seemed  to  propound  to  me.  At  any  rate,  when  I 
found  myself  I  was  upon  my  knees  at  the  altar.  This  was  on 
Sunday.  While  on  my  knees  I  promised  the  Lord  that  if 
my  life  was  spared  I  would  seek  him  day  and  night  until  I 
should  find  him.  When  I  went  home,  I  went  to  the  barn  and 
praved  for  many  hours,  and  nearly  all  night  I  continued  in  deep 
humility  and  earnest  prayer  to  God  for  the  pardoning  of  my 
sins,  which  appeared  to  me  to  be  as  the  stars  of  heaven  and  as 
the  sands  of  the  seashore  for  multitude.  For  one  dreary,  long, 
dark  seven  days,  whether  at  work  or  otherwise  engaged,  my 
prayer  like  smoke  on  a  calm  day  ascended  in  earnest  words  to 
God  in  the  name  of  his  dear  Son  who  loved  me  and  gave  him- 
self for  me.  During  that  week  I  attended  church  every  night, 
going  to  the  altar  each  night  for  prayer.     Sometimes  our  faith- 


Testimony  of  Prominent  Freedmen.        387 

ful  and  loving  pastor  would  preach,  and  then  some  others;  but 
no  matter  who  preached,  he  closed  up  the  meeting  by  a  few 
words  of  instruction  to  "  the  mourners." 

Sunday  came;  the  day  passed.  It  was  a  day  of  sorrow, 
agony,  and  prayer  with  me.  I  began  to  fear  that  I  had  com- 
mitted the  unpardonable  sin  against  the  Holy  Ghost.  What 
that  sin  was  I  did  not  know,  but  I  was  afraid  of  it.  But  anoth- 
er Sunday  came,  and  as  usual  during  the  past  week  I  went  to 
the  altar,  with  a  determination  that  if  I  went  to  hell  I  would  go 
praying.  After  prayer  I  remained  at  the  altar.  Brother  Parks 
rose  up  and  laid  his  hand  on  my  head  and  said:  "Brethren,  I 
believe  God  will  convert  this  boy  right  now."  When  he  said 
this,  I  felt  that  all  my  sins  and  condemnation  left  me,  and  light- 
ness of  heart  and  a  thrill  of  joy  ran  through  my  frame,  and  I 
wanted  to  sing  and  cry  out,  but  by  great  effort  I  subdued  my 
feeling.  The  meeting  continued  some  days  after,  and  I  felt  like 
a  new  man — yea,  I  was  new.  Never,  to  my  latest  day  on 
earth,  can  I  forget  the  time,  place,  and  the  experience.  As 
Brother  Parks  was  not  an  elder,  his  uncle,  H.  H.  Parks,  who 
was  then  pastor  of  the  white  Methodist  Church,  did  the  baptiz- 
ing'.    I  was  baptized  by  him,  and  taken  into  the  Church. 

Never  shall  I  forget  the  zeal,  earnest,  and  honest  work  of 
Brother  W.  A.  Parks  and  his  uncle  Harwell.  They  could  have 
done  no  more  for  the  salvation  of  their  own  people  than  they 
did  for  the  colored.  They  prayed,  preached,  and  worked  with 
a  devotion  for  the  good  of  the  colored  people  in  their  charge 
that  seemed  not  only  heroic,  but  angelic.  I  am  a  brand 
plucked  from  the  fire  by  their  heroic  and  splendid  efforts.  All 
over  this  Southland  many,  if  they  would,  can  bear  the  same 
testimony,  because  they  came  out  of  the  bondage  of  sin  into 
his  blessed  light  by  or  through  the  preaching  and  labors  of 
other  noble  white  men  who,  like  Brother  Parks,  toiled  faithful- 
ly for  the  redemption  of  their  souls.  Indeed,  the  colored  Meth- 
odists of  this  country  may  go  into  other  divisions  of  the  Meth- 
odist Chuixh,  and  associate  with  whom  they  please,  but  let  us 
and  them  remember  that  the  brethren  of  the  M.  E.  Church, 
South,  begat  them  unto  a  lively  hope  in  Jesus  Christ. 

The  course  of  this  brother  has  been  eminently 
conservative,   and    in    every   difficult    position    he 


388  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

has  proved  himself  an  able  and  trustworthy  coun- 
selor of  his  race. 

Hon.  Charles  H.  J.  Taylor,  late  Minister  to  Li- 
beria, writes; 

I  am  one  of  those  who  incHne  to  the  opinion  that  American 
African  slavery  was  the  way  intended  by  an  all-wise  and  om- 
nipotent Creator  to  bring  the  negro  race  to  civilization  and 
Christianity,  who,  with  their  fathers  during  the  prosperous  days 
of  prehistoric  Africa,  had  turned  their  backs  upon  God  and 
gone  off  after  idols.  "The  soul  that  sinneth  it  shall  die."  I"or 
every  crime  there  must  be  punishment.  It  is  right,  it  is  nat- 
ural that  it  should  be  so.  Let  no  one  think  for  a  moment  that 
I  seek  to  paint  in  mild  color  the  cruel  and  unchristianlike 
treatment  mctcd  out  to  slaves  by  some  who  served  as  masters 
only  to  afflict  the  decent,  sober,  and  God-fearing  element — by 
far  the  larger  part — of  the  slave-holding  states.  There  are  two 
sides  to  the  slavery  question;  the  one  should  be  told  with  as 
much  pleasure  to  cause  joy,  as  the  other  is  related  to  occasion 
pain  and  irritate  old  sores  left  by  fratricidal  conflict.  To  tell 
the  worst  feature  and  leave  the  best  unsaid  would  not  only  be 
wrong,  but  a  crime. 

To  say  that  there  were  hundreds  of  masters  who  owned 
slaves  who  desired  continually  their  spiritual  and  temporal 
welfare  is  to  say  what  every  informed  person  knows.  I  know 
now  an  old  slave  owner — God  bless  him! — who  takes  pleasure 
in  relating  how  glad  he  was  to  own  slaves,  that  he  might  con- 
strain— ves,  compel — them  (for  they  were,  in  their  untutored 
state,  but  children)  to  walk  in  the  paths  of  industry,  morality, 
and  Christianitv.  He  had  often  said  to  me  that  no  food  came 
into  his  house  that  did  not  enter  for  all  alike,  the  bond  and  the 
free.  When  he  purchased  clothing  or  presents  for  his  family, 
they  were  counted  a  part  and  got  their  share.  Another  picture: 
Sundav  morning  when  he  started  to  the  old  church  in  Perry 
County,  Ala.,  they  accompanied  him.  He  was,  indeed,  a  can- 
dle set  upon  a  hill,  a  light  which  was  not  and  could  not  be  hid. 
So  he  lived  during  those  days  when  responsibility  and  anxiety 
rested  entirely  with  one  class,  while  obedience,  and  with  that 
obedience  happiness,  belonged  to  the  other.     The  habits  of  the 


Testimony  of  Prominent  Freedmen.        389 

slaves  so  reared  served  them  well  as  slaves  and  have  made  them 
successful  as  freemen. 

Gnlj  last  night  I  was  conversing  with  a  gentleman  who  is 
engaged  in  business  in  front  of  my  office,  and  we  happened  to 
begin  talking  about  the  agitation  and  the  general  unsettled  con- 
dition of  "these  times;"  and  then,  by  way  of  contrast,  of  the 
old  times  when  there  was,  in  so  many,  many  instances,  the 
most  tender  relation  between  black  and  white,  owner  and  slave. 
How  different  then  from  now,  when  everything  is  in  a  ferment 
through  the  poisonous  words  and  baneful  influence  of  those 
who  have  no  real  interest  in  the  negro  himself,  but  simply  de- 
sire to  use  him  as  a  tool  in  furtherance  of  their  own  selfish 
ends!  He  talked  about  a  certain  old  family  black  man  with 
whom  he  was  raised ;  how  his  father  never  bought  him  any- 
thing without  purchasing  the  same  thing  for  the  black.  Free- 
dom came,  and  with  freedom  the  sower  of  evil,  and  dissatisfied 
the  old  family  servant  with  his  surroundings.  He  left  the  home 
bought  by  his  former  master,  which  belonged  as  much  to  him 
as  though  he  had  a  deed  from  his  master  for  it.  He  had  in  his 
possession  when  he  left  a  good  supply  of  clothes,  some  money, 
and  other  property.  Years  after  he  returned  in  rags  and  tat- 
ters. He  had  gone  wrong;  never  having  to  care  for  himself, 
being  always  provided  for,  the  faculty  of  "  self-preservation  " 
was  undeveloped.  This  gentleman  told  me  that  his  father  was 
dead  when  the  old  servant  returned,  and  the  thought  of  how 
the  servant  looked  when  he  left  home  and  his  appearance  when 
he  returned  hurt  him  so  much  and  made  him  feel  so  sad  that 
he  could  not  restrain  his  tears.  He  said  that  he  would  rather 
have  lost  one  thousand  dollars  than  to  have  seen  the  sight. 

A  distinguished  citizen  of  this  place  (Atlanta,  Ga.),  and  an 
office  holder,  a  few  days  ago  was  telling  me  about  the  return- 
ing to  him  of  a  woman  he  used  to  own.  She  had  been  gone 
ever  since  the  war,  and  he  believed  her  dead.  He  said  that  he 
was  as  proud  to  see  her  as  he  could  possibly  have  been  to  see 
his  natural  mother.  She  is  now  at  his  house,  and  can  live  there 
until  she  dies  if  she  desires. 

Hundreds  of  the  negroes  who  own  their  little  homes  in  the 
South  can  and  are  glad  to  testify  how  their  former  owners 
helped  them  to  acquire  these  places. 

Every  morning  of  my  life  when  I  visit  the  Recorder's  court 


390  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves.. 

room  and  the  City  Court,  about  the  first  thing  I  observe  is  a 
■white  man  whispering  in  the  ear  of  Judge  James  Anderson,  or 
seeking  Hon.  Howard  Van  Epps  in  his  room,  on  belialf  of 
some  unfortunate  darky,  said  darky  having  been  at  one  time 
the  old  family  servant.  This  is  not  all:  the  interested  white 
man  v/aits,  and  if  the  colored  man  is  fined,  he  pays  the  fine  for 
him. 

This  article  cannot  be  closed  until  I  have  performed  my  duty 
by  a  class  of  whites  who,  although  not  yet  commented  upon, 
stand  entitled  to  the  longest  robe,  the  brightest  crown,  and  a 
higher  seat  than  any  that  has  yet  been  mentioned.  1  speak  of 
that  class  who  are  entitled  to  the  noble  honor  of  having  been 
the  first  to  enkindle  the  glowing  light  of  evangelization  in  the 
darkened  soul  of  the  negro.  Good  men  and  women  they  were, 
with  the  spirit  of  their  divine  Master  aflame  in  their  hearts,  and 
made  of  such  material  as  asked  only  to  wear  out  in  that  service 
toward  which  the  noblest  impulses  of  their  Christianity  had  di- 
rected them. 

I  have  talked  with  numbers  of  negro  men  and  women  who 
gladlv  tell  me  that  they  first  felt  the  heaviness  of  their  sins,  and 
how  wretched  and  lost  was  their  condition  without  the  applica- 
tion of  the  blood  of  Jesus,  by  attendance  upon  the  meetings 
held  by  these  saintly  men  and  women  I  have  named.  No  one 
knows,  except  those  who  have  passed  through  the  difliculties 
they  encountered,  just  what  their  afflictions  often  w'ere.  Many 
were  the  cruel  "  cuts  in  words  "  they  received  for  having  faith 
in  their  ability  to  make  the  negro  an  intelligent  Christian  wor- 
shiper. But  being  full  of  the  divine  unction  from  above,  and  be- 
ing strong  of  purpose,  they  continued,  never  halting,  never  faint- 
ing, never  daunted,  ever  ready,  ever  waiting,  and  always  will- 
ing, until  now  those  of  them  who  still  live  can  rejoice  in  the 
God  of  their  salvation  at  knowing  that  the  seed  they  sowed 
years  ago — though  by  many  thought  to  have  been  in  barren 
soil  and  lost — has  quickened  and  sprung  up  into  living  trees  of 
giant  usefulness  for  the  service  of  the  Lord.  God  grant  their 
eyes  may  not  close  in  death  until  they  see  another  picture,  that 
of  the  American  African  brought  to  Christ  through  their  ef- 
forts, taking  passage  for  his  former  benighted  land,  there  to 
evangelize  that  great  continent,  bringing  its  people  to  a  knowl- 
edge of  the  truth  they  themselves  found  in  the  bonds  of  slav- 


Testimony  of  Prominent  Freedmen.         391 

ery!  Yes,  God  grant  that  those  who  ^vol-ked  while  others  slept 
(at  a  time  when  mj  poor  race  was  owned  as  property  in  this 
country),  to  teach  them  the  doctrine  of  true  liberty— the  free- 
dom of  religion— may  be  spared,  many  of  them,  to  gaze  upon 
the  good  result  of  their  noble.  Christian  labors! 

When  these  Christian  pioneers  die— that  is,  when  they  go 
into  another  house,  for  die  they  will  not—\&t  no  negro,  if  seats 
are  scarce  in  that  celestial  city,  sit  down  while  one  of  them  is 
standing.  In  other  words,  let  my  race  make  haste  to  act  up  to 
the  noble  principles  so  early  instilled  into  them  by  these  evan- 
gels of  light,  these  Christian  men  and  women  who  went  about, 
and  who  still  go  about,  doing  good— yea,  make  them  glad  that 
thev  ever  formed  our  acquaintance  and  taught  us  what  a  good 
thing  it  was  to  know  God  in  the  pardon  of  our  sins. 

The  feeling  of  affinity  that  binds  these  two  races  together 
can  never  be  destroyed,  let  bad  men  say  what  and  do  what  they 
^^ill.  The  time  is  ripe  for  the  springing  seeds  of  love— Chris- 
tian love— good  will  and  unity.     The  Lord  send  the  harvest! 

The  Rev.  A.  J.  Stinson,  presiding  elder  of  the 
Columbia,  S.  C,  District,  in  the  Colored  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  Church,  writes: 

I  was  born  in  Crawford  County,  Ga.,  January  13,  1847.  My 
father  and  mother,  then  slaves,  were  converted  before  my  birth 
under  the  ministry  of  the  Methodist  Church,  South.  At  the 
ao^e  of  three  or  four  years  I  moved  with  them  to  Floyd  County, 
nine  miles  west  of  Rome.  Here  in  the  neighborhood  the  white 
people  had  a  schoolhouse  in  which  meetings  were  held  on 
Sundays  for  the  colored  people.  We  were  preached  to  alter- 
nately' by  the  Revs.  Kitchens  and  Newton.  Mr.  Oliver  Mc- 
Clennan  was  our  class  leader.  They  were  all  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  South,  and  all  labored  nobly  among  us.  I 
remember  vividly,  though  then  a  child,  the  gracious  times  of 
those  days. 

At  the  age  of  five  I  was  baptized  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Newton. 
I  then  felt  my  first  and  lasting  impression  of  religion  and  real- 
ized deeply  my  obligation  as  a  baptized  believer,  both  to  God 
and  to  his  Church.  The  keen  remembrances  of  that  hour  to 
this  day  electrify  my  soul,  and  I  see  in  my  mind  that  old  man 


392  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

as  he  took  me  in  his  arms  and,  looking  toward  lieaven,  said: 
"God  bless  this  child!"  Here  a  flood  of  holy  fire  sweeps  over 
my  soul,  but  I  must  not  let  my  emotions  overcome  me. 

At  the  age  of  fifteen  I  felt  assuredly  the  call  to  preach,  though 
I  had  not  as  yet  made  an  open  profession  of  religion.  Then 
the  terrible  clash  of  war,  which  demoralized  our  civilized  coun- 
try, came  on,  and  for  four  years  cannons  roared,  musketry  rat- 
tled, and  sabers  clashed,  while  the  brave  bled  and  died.  Yet 
the  fire  of  God's  holy  spirit,  as  a  living  volcano,  burned  on  in 
my  heart,  and  in  the  hearts  of  others  of  my  i-ace,  where  the  sa- 
cred flame  of  evangelization  had  been  enkindled  by  the  noble 
efforts  of  the  white  Christians. 

At  the  close  of  the  war  I  moved  to  Waters  District,  a  few 
miles  east  of  Rome.  Here,  at  Rush's  Chapel,  Thursday,  Au- 
gust, 1866,  while  Revs.  Thomas  Pledger,  William  Hickey,  and 
A.  M.  Thigpen — the  latter  then  pastor  in  Rome — were  conduct- 
ing a  revival  meeting  for  the  white  people,  but  which  any  of 
us  who  wished  were  allowed  to  attend,  my  soul,  while  Rev.  Mr. 
Pledger  preached,  was  revived  as  into  a  burning  flame.  Think- 
ing, however,  that  it  would  appear  rude  to  give  vent  to  my 
feelings  there — though  the  whole  congregation  was  shouting — 
I  made  for  the  door,  then  outside  to  the  woods,  where  I  praised 
God  alone  for  four  hours.  On  the  Sunday  following  Rev.  Mr. 
Pledger  preached  for  the  colored  people  in  the  same  church, 
and  thirty-five  of  us  became  members.  Rev.  William  Hickey, 
our  pastor,  was  present  and  appointed  me  the  same  day  as  class 
leader  and  exhorter. 

But  I  must  not  conclude  ere  telling  how  I  came  to  be  at  that 
Thursday  meeting,  where  Rev.  Mr.  Pledger  aroused  such  a  fire 
in  mj'  heart.  It  was  through  Mr.  Branchfield,  father  of  Rev. 
William  Branchfield,  of  the  Georgia  Conference.  God  bless 
him!  Passing  me  on  his  way  to  church,  he  said  to  me:  "  Come, 
my  boy,  and  go  to  church  with  me."  I  told  him  I  would  be  on 
soon,  but  I  had  no  idea  as  I  spoke  of  keeping  my  promise. 
After  the  good  man  had  gone,  however,  his  w^ords,  his  face,  and 
his  manner  all  came  back  to  me  so  forcibly,  seeming  to  speak 
to  me  even  then,  that  I  could  resist  no  longer,  and  so  I  went  on 
after  him  to  the  house  of  God,  and  was  there  and  then  glorious- 
ly converted.  Thank  God  that  I  can  say,  like  David :  "  I  was  glad 
when  they  said  to  me.  Let  us  go  into  the  house  of  the  Lord." 


Testimony  of  Proynincnt  Freed  men.        393 

Rev.  Washington  Phillips,  with  his  sons,  occu- 
pies a  prominent  place  in  the  Colored  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church.      Rev.  J.  T.  Phillips  writes: 

I  was  born  at  Nevvnan,  in  Coweta,  Ga.,  June  24,  1837.  I  am 
the  oldest  son  of  Rev.  Washington  Phillips,  of  Milledgeville, 
Ga.  My  father  joined  the  Methodist  Church  at  the  age  of  lif- 
teen;  he  has  been  a  member  sixty  years.  My  mother  was  con- 
verted when  I  was  four  weeks  old,  and  joined  the  Methodist 
Church  shortly  afterwards.  She  has  been  a  member  fifty-three 
years 

I  joined  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South,  under  the 
preaching  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Knox,  who  was  then  pastor  of  the 
Church  at  Milledgeville.  It  was  during  the  time  of  a  revival; 
white  and  black  were  alike  powerfully  impressed.  The  preacher 
preached  to  both  Avhite  and  colored,  as  faithfully  to  one  as  to 
the  other.  Milledgeville  was  a  station.  The  pastor  preached 
once  a  month  also  in  the  country  to  white  and  colored.  I  was 
converted  IMay  8,  1S59.  That  date  remains  engraven  upon  my 
memor^^  I  at  once  commenced  talking,  going  from  house  to 
house,  telling  my  people  of  the  blessed  Saviour  I  had  found. 
The  church  at  Milledgeville  was  very  large.  The  colored  mem- 
bers were  given  full  use  of  the  gallery.  They  crowded  it  day 
and  night. 

I  was  licensed  to  preach  by  Elder  Josiah  Lewis  in  1867,  and 
joined  the  Conference  in  1869.  I  preached  four  years  in  Mil- 
ledgeville, was  five  years  presiding  elder,  and  eleven  years  on 
circuits.  While  I  was  presiding  my  Avhite  brethren  were  ever 
kind  to  me.  They  helped  me  gladly  in  many  ways.  They  ga\-e 
me  money  and  they  gave  me  encouragement.  I  cannot  tell  how 
many  of  them  gave  me  lots  on  which  to  build  churches.  I  have 
never  bought  a  single  lot  on  which  to  build  a  church;  all  have 
been  given  through  the  kindness  of  my  white  brethren.  I  grate- 
fully give  this  testimony  to  their  kindness,  help,  and  liberality. 
They  treated  me  as  a  Christian  and  a  brother.  INIay  it  return  to 
them  a  hundredfold. 

]SIy  owners,  too,  were  kind.  They  allowed  their  children  to 
teach  my  father's  children  to  read.  I  Avill  be  iifty-thrce  years 
old  in  June.  I  have  three  brothers,  and  all  four  of  us  are  Meth- 
odist preachers.      By  God's  grace  we  hope  to  meet  in  heaven. 


394  The  Gospel  among  the  Slaves. 

I  have  seen  many  ups  and  downs  in  life,  but  through  them  all 
the  star  of  light,  kindled  through  the  noble  Christian  efforts  of 
the  white  ministry,  has  shown  over  the  way,  lighting  me  along 
the  path  that  leads  to  my  Father's  house  of  many  mansions. 

I  long  to  see  harmony,  good  will,  and  brotherly  charity  be- 
tween the  two  races  that  it  seems  God's  will  shall  live  together. 
I  want  the  sentiments  and  teachings  of  Christian  men  and 
women  to  prevail  and  not  the  plots  and  vile  intrigues  of  schem- 
ing politicians.  As  a  general  thing,  the  negro  loves  the  white 
man.  He  looks  up  to  him  and  trusts  him,  and  it  is  a  great  mis- 
take when  the  white  man  fails  to  meet  this  trust  with  the  kind- 
liness and  grace  he  knows  so  well  how  to  use. 

I  say  to  my  colored  brethren  to  trust  the  white  man  whose 
noble  concern  is  for  their  immortal  souls,  whose  hand  is  fear- 
less to  help  in  time  of  trouble,  whose  souls  is  knit  to  them  by 
the  old  kindly  ties  of  days  of  yore,  whose  ancestors  through 
pains  and  noble  toils  brought  spiritual  light  to  the  negro's  soul. 
These  are  the  men — and  thank  God  there  are  many  of  them 
throughout  the  South  to-day! — who  have  sincerely  at  heart  the 
negro's  best  interest,  who  treat  him  as  a  fellow-human  being, 
who  are  glad  to  see  him  succeed  in  life,  who  deal  justly  with 
him,  are  considerate  of  his  claims,  and  who  meet  him  as  a 
brother,  a  brother  in  Christ,  on  the  broad  plane  of  Christianity. 

With  these  testimonies  of  gratitude  from  the 
members  of  a  race  formerly  held  in  bondage  we 
close  the  record  of  toil,  hardship,  and  self-denial 
on  the  part  of  the  missionaries  of  the  cross.  That 
they  have  not  been  exposed  to  every  danger  in- 
curred b}'-  pioneers  in  heathen  lands  is  true,  but 
they  encountered  difficulties  peculiar  to  their  times 
and  to  the  nature  of  their  work.  Most  of  these 
workmen  have  gone  forward  to  the  meeting  of  the 
"  General  Assembly  and  Church  of  the  Firstborn" 
in  heaven,  and  those  who  remain  must  follow  soon. 
To  each  will  come  in  due  season  the  welcome 
plaudit:  "Well  done,  good  and  faithful  servant, 
enter  thou  into  the  joy  of  thy  Lord." 


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